Two men who were rescued from a blaze at a house on Monday, have died in hospital.

Firefighters were called to the fire at a mid-terraced house in Laburnum Avenue, Hornchurch, early in the morning.

Part of the ground floor of the property was damaged by fire and the two men and a woman were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.

Despite the efforts of the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service, a woman was prounounced dead at the scene.

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: “My thoughts and those of everyone at the Brigade are with the friends and family of the three people who have died following the tragic fire in Hornchurch on Monday morning.

“Firefighters worked extremely hard and did all they could in difficult conditions.”

Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers from three stations – Hornchurch, Dagenham and Romford – attended the scene.

On Monday, a woman who lives opposite the site tragedy and saw the events unfold said: “I watched the firemen bring them out. I was compelled to watch, willing them to do everything they could.”

Neighbour, Jeffrey Prendergast added: “It is tragic. There was smoke billowing out the windows.”

Fire investigators and the police are working closely to establish the cause of the fire.