People living in a cramped industrial space destroyed by fire this morning are said to have "lost everything they own".

A total of 100 firefighters were called to Rigg Approach in Leyton at 1.20am to tackle a huge fire which was still being hosed down nearly 12 hours later.

Around 17 people escaped the building before firefighters arrived and took shelter in a nearby building provided by a local bike shop worker.

The fire service initially reported the warehouse as a mixed use building, including living accommodation, but a worker nearby claimed families and young professionals were living there illegally.

Most of them have been moved to temporary accommodation, while others are still waiting outside and unsure where to go.

The building, registered under Iceworld, an ice cream and fast food wholesalers, had stored around 20 ice cream vans at the back, which were all destroyed by flames.

Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage from around the premises following reports of two people running away from the building before the fire took hold.

A mechanic working opposite the site, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is traumatic, people have lost everything they own.

“Everyone is distraught, it is such a close community around here but we all knew there were people living in there.

“They were no hassle, kept themselves to themselves, but we would say hello in the mornings.

“There were some educated professional people, some were artists, and they were living alongside a couple of families in that cramped space.”

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The gutted building has been declared unstable

A car workshop in the same industrial estate has just sold on the open market for £1.8million.

The worker continued: “The shortage of affordable housing drives people to live in these conditions. In London rent is so expensive.

"I don’t know what agreement they had with the landlord, but he obviously knows it was a commercial property.”

“The most important thing is that everyone is accounted for but the reason why families are forced to live there also needs to be addressed.

“Because next time we won’t be so lucky.”

A Waltham Forest council spokeswoman said they were awaiting more information.

“We currently have officers at the site at the moment alongside the fire brigade carrying out an investigation”, she said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.