A woman who sustained severe burns in a fire at her flat died last night in hospital.

The 30-year-old, who has not yet been named, suffered 85 per cent burns in the blaze which ripped through her second floor flat in Turnstone Close in Plaistow in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Although the fire was initially thought to be suspicious, police are now treating it as unexplained. An investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.

The woman was taken to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel before being transferred to the specialist burns unit at the Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford where she died last night at 10.25pm.

A post mortem will be held in due course.