Fifteen fire engines and around 125 firefighters have been called to a flat fire in east London

A flat fire in east London has received calls for fifteen fire engines and about 125 firefighters.

According to video, the building on Manwood Street in the North Woolwich docklands was spewing heavy plumes of smoke out of its top-floor windows.

Witnesses close to the 17-story building reportedly saw flames, and some even said that a nearby area of grassland was on fire.

A resident who lives next to the structure described it as being like a “true inferno” and expressed alarm after seeing burning foliage only yards from his house.

It is not clear at this time whether anyone has been hurt or injured, but London Ambulance Service (LAS) confirmed it has sent crews to the scene.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) stated its control room have taken more than 105 calls about the blaze.

The fire tore through the 17th floor of a tower block in north Woolwich, east London, this afternoon

A spokesman said: ‘A four-roomed flat on the 17th floor of the building is completely alight.

‘Firefighters are also tackling a fire involving around one hectare of grass opposite the block at the junction between Manwood Street and Silverland Street.’

‘The Brigade was called at 12.49pm. Fire crews from Shadwell, Dowgate, Dockhead, Shoreditch and surrounding fire stations are at the scene.

‘The cause of the fire is now known at this time.’

London Ambulance Service added that it had ‘sent a number of resources to the scene, including advanced paramedics and our hazardous area response team’.

A local who lives ‘just a few metres’ from a block of flats that were on fire in the north Woolwich docklands described the scene as ‘a real inferno’.

Smoke was seen pouring from high up in the tower block shortly before 1pm today, with firefighters rushing to the scene

Police advised Rolly Apao, 45, to stay away from the fire since a hectare of grass next to his backyard was also on fire.

Mr Apao, a healthcare assistant, said he was ‘scared’ but confirmed the fire appears to be out now.

‘I noticed the fire because of the thick smoke,’ he said. ‘When the fire started our neighbours were also curious and we saw peoples outside the burning building, the smoke was on the top floor.

‘It looked like a real inferno… but I am glad as well because firefighters were able to tackle the fire quickly. (I was) scared, but I have to pay attention of my surroundings for my safety.

‘We just had the heatwave yesterday which we (have had) to deal with mentally and physically.. the heat is too much to bear.’

LFB has since confirmed the fire took place on the top floor of the building.

Station Commander Keith Sanders, who is at the scene said: ‘Crews arrived to find a top floor flat alight, which was producing heavy smoke and another fire in the grass area opposite.

‘Crews are working to bring the fire under control and smoke is now subsiding.

‘We are using our turntable ladders and drones at the scene to provide an aerial view of an incident to help Incident Commanders develop tactics to bring the fire under control.

‘There were a lot of possessions and clutter inside the flat which made it challenging for firefighters. It can make fires spread much faster, especially when there are lots of flammable items such as newspapers or cardboard.

‘There are currently no reports of any injuries.’

It comes a day after LFB faced its busiest day since the Second World War as crews raced across London to deal with fires in the record-breaking heat.

At least 41 homes across the capital were destroyed in fires yesterday, including several in the east London village of Wennington, where an inferno tore through properties.

Terrifying photos and video showed a raging inferno tearing through and gutting homes on Tuesday afternoon, with those caught in the crossfire losing everything and now facing the daunting task of having to rebuild their lives.

Extremely dry ground and searing temperatures created ‘tinderbox’ conditions that led to fires breaking out in London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Scotland and Wales.