It is feared that dangerous cladding has once again played a part in a major fire, as a blaze tore through a London block of flats yesterday.

The fire, which began in the earlier hours of Bank Holiday Monday, on Freshwater Road in Dagenham was attended by 40 fire engines and around 225 firefighters.

Nobody was injured in the incident and all tenants have been accounted for.

The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) has now called for an urgent investigation into the fire, claiming that the blaze had exposed the “national scandal” of flammable cladding and deregulation.

According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the building had a number of fire safety issues.

London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “We will now begin a full investigation into the fire and its cause. This was a very dynamic and challenging incident, and we know there will undoubtedly be concerns around the fire safety issues present within the building and this will form part of our report.”

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “Once again a fire has erupted in a residential building wrapped in flammable cladding. There needs to be an urgent and swift investigation of how this has been allowed to happen.

“Hundreds of thousands of people continue to live in buildings like it, with various failings in fire safety. This is a national scandal.

“For decades the FBU has warned of the risks of deregulation in the building sector. Politicians have put the interests of big business above human life. As we saw at Grenfell Tower, this can have horrific and tragic consequences.

“It was already known that the Dagenham tower block was dangerous. Time and time again these warnings have been ignored by public authorities and by central government. This must change immediately.”

Meanwhile, the LFB has issued a safety reminder about smoking after another flat fire in a high-rise building in nearby Blackwall.

A balcony was destroyed and a small part of a five-roomed flat on the 25th floor of the 45-storey building was damaged. There were no reports of any injuries.

One of the LFB’s 64-metre turntable ladders was deployed as an observation tower to support firefighters as they tackled the fire.

The fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have been caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.

A LFB spokesperson said: “If you smoke it is vitally important you stub it right out, preferably in an ashtray.

“Always ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire as you don’t know what it may land on which could potentially start a fire.”