A fire has been burning for more than seven hours at a gym and restaurant, closing a nearby road.

Around 80 firefighters and 12 fire engines scrambled to Forest Road, in Ilford, just before 2am this morning (September 19).

The London Fire Brigade confirmed that crews were still on the scene at 9.30am - more than seven hours later.

A "small part" of the first floor of the two-storey commercial building remains alight.

LIVE UPDATES: Fire burns for more than eight hours and closes road

Crews from Hainault, Romford, Dagenham, Woodford and surrounding fire stations are all helping to tackle the fire.

Forest Road is closed in both directions between the Fairlop Waters roundabout and Hainault Road, according to AA Maps.

Huge 64-metre and 32-metre turntable ladders are being used to fight the blaze and provide water from height.

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The London Fire Brigade also said that their control officers took six calls and used an app to get live stream footage from smart phone cameras at the scene, so they could have "better situational awareness".

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said: "When a 999 call is received by the brigade, the caller may be asked if they would like to provide a live video stream of the scene using their smartphone.

"The control officer will send a text message with a secure, one-time-use link that opens a live stream direct from the phone to the control room."

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and the brigade have asked people to avoid the Forest Road area while they respond to the incident.