A woman has died after a fire broke out at a home for people with learning disabilities.

The blaze, at Connington Crescent, in Chingford, north-east London, started at around 2.15 am on Friday 20th April. Two floors and the roof of the building were alight by the time the ten fire crews arrived at the scene, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

Eight residents and four carers managed to escape the three-storey block, and a further 16 people were evacuated from neighbouring properties, before firefighters arrived.

A female resident at the home was treated by paramedics but pronounced dead at the scene.

At its height, more than 70 firefighters - from Woodford, Chingford, Walthamstow, Enfield and Leytonstone fire stations - were sent to tackle the blaze.

Richard Janssens, Station Manager for Chigwell, confirmed that the emergency services were alerted by a neighbour.

Mr Janssens said specialist fire investigators in the building "are working in close liaisons with the police officers to find out what the cause of the blaze is and what the circumstances were which led to this tragic fatality".