A suspected arson attack at a restaurant in east London has left three people in a life-threatening condition.
Five people were rescued by firefighters and taken to hospital after the blaze broke out at the Indian Aroma on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill at about 9pm on Friday.
Part of the ground floor was damaged and firefighters rescued five people from the restaurant, while nine others were able to get out beforehand, London Fire Brigade said.
One local businessman compared the fire to a “Halloween scene”, after CCTV footage appeared to show a man running out of the building with his clothing on fire.
CCTV footage appears to show a group of people with their faces covered walk into the restaurant before pouring liquid on to the floor.
Seconds later, the inside of the restaurant is engulfed in flames.
Sayed Bokhari, 39, said he had spoken to the manager of the restaurant, adding: “He was crying. He was very shocked. He was really crying. He was extremely scared.”
Mr Bokhari said: “It’s awful and it’s very scary.”
“It looked like a scene from Halloween. It was a serious, dramatic thing and people were running around him,” he said, referring to the injured man.
Mr Bokhari, who has run a business in the area for 15 years, said: “It is scary because we run retail stores which are welcoming customers in.
“The doors are open like the doors of your house. We cannot body check everyone to see if they are safe. There is only so much that high street security can do.
“It is scary. You are worried for people. You are worried about your business.
“London is not such a fun place any more.”
Five people - three women and two men - were treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
Two of them were taken to a major trauma centre and three were taken to local hospitals, London Ambulance Service said.
Three of the injured are in a life-threatening condition, the Metropolitan Police said.
A local resident described seeing a man whose “whole body was burnt” in the aftermath of the suspected arson attack.
Hospital porter Edward Thawe, 43, stepped outside his nearby home with his 12-year-old son to see if he could help after hearing screaming.
The police and ambulance were already at the scene, which Mr Thawe described as "horrible" and "more than scary and the sort of thing that you don't want to look at twice".
He said he thought one man who was on the street and a woman who was also outside may have been customers.
Mr Thawe added that the man's "whole body was burnt", including his shirt, but he was still wearing his trousers.
Uniformed officers guarded the police cordon that was in place on Saturday as forensic officers in protective clothing examined the scene.
The taped cordon stretched from outside the shop on local high street which faces on to a busy main road and on to the pavement.
A trail of what appeared to be bloodstained footsteps along the pavement was spotted by a forensic officer.
A number of items were also bagged up in clear plastic carriers outside the shop.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, of the Met’s Central Specialist Crime North unit said: “We understand this incident will cause concern within the community. My team of specialist detectives are working at speed to piece the incident together.
“Locals can expect to see a large police presence in the area. If you have any concerns, please speak to those officers on the ground.”
No arrests have been made at this stage.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called at 9.04pm yesterday to reports of a fire on Woodford Avenue, Ilford.
Huge thanks to @metpoliceuk @LondonFire @Ldn_Ambulance for their response to a serious incident on Gants Hill/Woodford Avenue this evening.
— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) August 22, 2025
Please avoid the area for now. Further updates will follow from @RedbridgeLive and emergency services.
"We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London's Air Ambulance.
"We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals."
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "We were called at 9.02pm to reports of a fire at a restaurant on Woodford Avenue in Gants Hill.
"Part of the ground floor restaurant was damaged by fire. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued five people from the restaurant. They were all taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. Around nine further people were able to leave the restaurant before firefighters arrived.
"The brigade's control officers received seven calls about the fire and mobilised crews from Ilford, Hainault, Leytonstone and Woodford fire stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 10.32pm.
"The cause of the fire is being investigated by the brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is the MP for Ilford North, posted on X saying: "Huge thanks to @metpoliceuk @LondonFire @Ldn-Ambulance for their response to a serious incident on Gants Hill/Woodford Avenue this evening.
"Please avoid the area for now. Further updates will follow from @RedbridgeLive and emergency services."
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Met via 101, quoting 7559/22AUG. If you wish to remain anonymous, please speak with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
