A “traumatised” teenager and his dog escaped from a house fire in South Hornchurch this afternoon.
Six engines and 35 firefighters tackled the blaze in Rainham Road at a house converted into flats.
The 14-year-old managed to escape the fire before the crews arrived after being woken up by his dog.
A man who was working on the house next door said: “I could smell smoke so I came outside and then saw smoke coming out of the roof.
“A man came out, he looked okay, a bit traumatised. He had a dog with him.”
The boy’s parents were out at the time.
Part of the first floor and half of the roof was on fire and the road was closed off before the blaze was brought under control.
Station manager Joe Kenny said: “Local crews got on the scene first and were met with harsh conditions and got it under control really quickly.
“They worked really hard in this hot weather.”
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