Candles are thought to be behind a blaze which badly damaged a house in East Ham.

Twenty from East Ham, Plaistow, Barking and Bow tackled the fire in Friar’s Road at about 7.50am.

A man and a woman, who were out in the garden at the time, were treated for shock and smoke inhalation and taken by ambulance to hospital.

The flames, which started in an upstairs bedroom, spread to the roof and much of the first floor and loft conversion. The area around the stairs was also gutted.

The incident on Sunday was under control by about 10.30am.