It's always good to be ready

Job at tabernacle St

Firefighters tackle a massive blaze in Tabernacle Street in Shoreditch, east London. Photograph: David Holder/Rex Features

Adam Gabbatt

guardian.co.uk News Thu 11 Mar 2010 10:50 GMT

• More than 100 firefighters battling giant blaze in east London
• Fire brigade and police to investigate cause of incident

More than 100 firefighters were battling a fire at a building in London this morning. Fire crews were called to Tabernacle Street in Shoreditch at 4.32am.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said there had been no reports of any injuries. "Twenty fire engines, four aerial appliances and around 100 firefighters are attending a blaze at a bar/restaurant and the floors above it on Tabernacle Street in Shoreditch this morning," he said. "The cause of the fire is not known at this stage."

Four floors of the building, including a ground floor restaurant, were damaged by the fire. Some reports suggested the restaurant was The East Room, although the fire brigade could not confirm this.

The spokesman said fire crews from Shoreditch and surrounding areas were still tackling the blaze at 10am, but "progress is being made".

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said there were no reported injuries.

The spokesman said a joint investigation between the fire brigade and the police would begin once the fire was doused.

Niko