INVESTIGATORS are still at the scene of a fire which swept through a social club yesterday afternoon.

Thirty firefighters spent three and a half hours battling flames at Grove Social Club, Grove Road, Chadwell Heath.

The blaze sparked at around 4.45pm and was spotted by residents who lived nearby.

The building was empty at the time.

Crews from Hainault, Romford, Dagenham, East Ham and Hornchurch Fire Stations tackled the fire.

One neighbor, who spotted smoke pouring from the building, said: “I could smell it, it was very acrid.

“There were a lot of fire engines everywhere, it was quite dramatic.”

A team of investigators are still combing the scene to try and discover the cause of the fire, which damaged the roof and part of the ground floor.

Club chairman Val Parish said members were very upset when they heard the news.

She said: “It sounds like the damage inside is quite intense.

“It’s very hard to take in at the moment.

“We’ve been here since before the war.

“Its going to be a while before we know the extent of the damage or what caused it.”

Did you see the fire? Email any comments or pictures to jennifer.coombes@ilfordrecorder.co.uk