Two men tried to extinguish a fire that broke out in a flat in East Ham yesterday evening.
They were in the Keppel Road property, which is above a shop, with two women and a child when the fire broke out in a bedroom at around 8.45pm.
The women and child left, but the two men remained and tried to extinguish the fire using a bucket of water.
Two fire engines attended the scene and had it under control by 9pm.
All five residents were treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service and a small area of the bedroom was damaged in the fire.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “It’s only natural to want to protect possessions but the bottom line is, when a fire starts in your home never try to tackle it yourself.
“Your priority is to get out, stay out and call 999.”
The fire is believed to have been caused by candles that had been left unattended.
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