An MP has asked what councils are doing about fire safety in the aftermath of a fatal blaze in a care home.

Iain Duncan Smith, MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said questions need to be asked to prevent another incident happening in future.

A woman, believed to be in her 30s, was killed after a fire broke out at Connington Crescent care home in Chingford in the early hours of this morning.

Mr Duncan Smith questioned the procedures and fire regulations imposed on care homes by councils.

He said: “They need to get to the bottom of what went wrong. I would like the council to look at this. What regulations have they got in place?”

A neighbour phoned for the fire brigade and an ambulance when she was woken by the “chaos.”

The MP was concerned that care home workers did not call the fire brigade as a first instinct.

He recommended fire safety rules and procedures be made clearer by local authorities to avoid a repeat incident in future.

He said: “I know there will be an investigation into how it started. What procedures does the council have in place? Have a fire procedure pinned to the wall. First, the fire brigade needs to be called. It takes two seconds, then get everybody out.

“It’s a tragedy. It could have been worse. Had the fire brigade not got there as quickly, there could have been more deaths.

“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Waltham Forest Council does not own or run the Connington Crescent care Home. It is owned by a private company.

Waltham Forest Council has been contacted for comment regarding it’s fire safety regulations.