Firefighters attended a fire on Lavender Road, Ilford, last night at 12.30am.
A family of five fled a fire in their Lavender Place flat at 12.30am. A man was treated for burns and smoke inhalation, and a woman and three children were treated for minor smoke inhalation by the London Ambulance Service.
The fire started in the bathroom of their first floor flat.
Residents had evacuated the building before the crews from Ilford Fire Station arrived.
Nigel McCormick, Watch Manager of Ilford fire station, said: “The family were woken up when the smoke alarm went of, which gave them the time to escape quickly and call us.
“Given that it was the middle of the night, that smoke alarm saved their lives.
“There was a lot of smoke in the flat when we arrived so if they hadn’t been woken up, the fire could have had tragic consequences.
“Get a working smoke alarm and test it every week, they really do save lives.”
He added that the crews performed well and got the fire out quickly.
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