Walthamstow: Residents evacuated after east London fire

Around 100 firefighters have been called to a fire affecting a house, gardens, sheds and a railway embankment in Walthamstow, east London.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said two rest centres had been set up locally for impacted residents.

It said it received the first of more than 100 calls to the incident near Vallentin Road and Shernhall Street just before 18:30 BST, with 20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters in attendance.

In an update at about 21:00, LFB said the cause of the fire was currently unknown but "crews have been working hard to extinguish the fire as swiftly as possible".

The fire brigade has advised people in the area to keep their windows and doors closed due to the significant amount of smoke produced by the fire.

Motorists are also advised to avoid the area, including Wood Street, Shernhall Street, and surrounding roads, as road closures are in place.

The Weaver Overground line has been partially closed in response to the incident.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said in an Instagram post on Sunday evening that "hundreds" of people had been affected by the fire.

She thanked locals for donations of food and water brought to the rest centres, adding that "it would make you cry to see what our community's done".