Roads were closed in East Ham at the weekend, as "thick black smoke" ballooned from a takeaway shop as it went up in flames.

It took about 25 fire fighters - using four engines - an hour-and-a-half to get the fire at the High Street North shop under control.

Newham Recorder: High Street North in East Ham where the fire broke out in a takeawayHigh Street North in East Ham where the fire broke out in a takeaway (Image: Google)

Eight separate calls were made just after 5.30pm on Saturday - February 5 - to alert emergency services about the blaze.

Three women from a first-floor flat above the shop left the building before crews from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) arrived, as did two men from the shop itself.

Part of the ground floor which is used as a takeaway restaurant and a grocery shop was damaged by the fire.

It is believed to have been caused by oil in a deep fat fryer igniting, which then spread up into the ducting.

A LFB spokesperson said: “On arrival crews could see thick, black smoke coming from the front of the shop.

"There were road closures in place whilst firefighters worked to make the scene safe.

“Chip pans and cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous and the risk increases when you start frying food more than once.

"All it can take is for you to become distracted for a few seconds and your cooking oil can quickly go up in flames."

They reminded restaurant and takeaway owners to make sure ducting is regularly cleaned, to try to prevent ducting fires.

"You should also make sure you keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire," they added.

There were no reports of any injuries.

Fire crews from Walthamstow, Ilford, Leyton and Wennington fire stations attended the scene.

The LFB used the opportunity to issued tips on using deep fat fryers safely at home, warning that hot oil can easily overheat and catch fire.

Pans should never be filled more than one third full of fat or oil, and food should always be dry before putting it in hot oil, because oil and water are a dangerous mix, and can cause an explosion.

Electronic deep fat fryers are preferable, as they are safer due to automatic temperature controls.