Neighbours alerted firefighters to a house blaze after smelling smoke.
Flames ripped through the first floor of the terraced property in Dunedin Road, Leyton, at 6.30am on Saturday morning.
There was no one in the property at the time but neighbours called 999 after noticing the smoke.
Four fire engines and around 21 firefighters attended the incident and the fire was put out by 7.45am.
A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “The house did not have a working smoke alarm fitted.
“Make sure you’ve got a working smoke alarm on every level of your home and you should test them regularly.
“Smoke alarms provide vital early warning and buy you extra time to escape if there is a fire. They can also alert neighbours to the danger of fire.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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