Housing

Overcrowded London: 16 people discovered living in tiny flat after fire breaks out

One person was hospitalised with injuries sustained in the Tower Hamlets fire.

Maddocks House in Shadwell. Image: Google Maps

At least sixteen people were discovered to be living in a three-room flat in East London after a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning in a damning example of the housing crisis enveloping London and the wider UK.

Around 30 firefighters and five fire engines tackled the blaze at a top-floor flat on the Tarling West estate in Shadwell, which left one person hospitalised.

All but one of the flat’s assumed residents had left before firefighters arrived, while the cause of the fire is under investigation.

One resident on the Tarling West estate told the Big Issue: “We are all a bit reeling from what happened”.

He added: “We heard quite quickly that it was people working for couriers”

Locals had worried about overcrowding and exploitation in the area, he said: “I am not massively surprised but the extent of it is much worse than I thought.”

He added: “It just seems inevitable that there was going to be a fire one day.”

Reports on social media suggested residents had initially been taken in by a local mosque and Tower Hamlets borough council is understood to be re-housing the residents, although the council has not officially responded to requests to comment.

Overcrowding in London has gone from bad to worse through the pandemic and cost of living crisis as rising rents and bills force more and more people to cut costs. In early 2022 the London Assembly Housing Committee wrote to the mayor’s office with recommendations to better understand the issue and improve support options for people living in crowded accommodation.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade told the Big Issue: “Five fire engines and around 30 firefighters tackled a fire at a flat on Cornwall Street in Shadwell on Sunday (March 5).

“Half of a flat was damaged by fire. One man was rescued from a bedroom by firefighters before being taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews. Fifteen people left the flat before firefighters arrived.

“The Brigade was called at 0252 and the fire was under control by 0507. Crews from Shadwell, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, Dowgate and Dockhead fire stations attended the scene.

“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”

The Big Issue has contacted Tower Hamlets Homes, and the Metropolitan Police for comment.

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Anger over house prices and rising rents has been growing in Tower Hamlets, as the borough experiences a housing crisis. A recent count found two dozen people were sleeping rough in the borough, while the residents of one housing association mount a service charge strike.

Ali Brown, spokesperson for London Renters Union, told The Big Issue: “The dangerous conditions faced by people in Maddocks House are the inevitable outcome of our rigged housing system. It is unfair that migrants and working class people are forced into overcrowded accommodation by skyrocketing rents and a lack of social housing.

“Hostile environment policies like ‘Right to Rent’ and ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ put up additional barriers to safe housing for many people in London. Until the government brings rents under control and prioritises everyone’s right to a decent home, we can expect to see more stories like this in the future.”

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson told The Big Issue: “This is an ongoing investigation and we’re cooperating with the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police. We’ve arranged hotel accommodation for those who have been displaced as a result of the fire.”

Do you have more information about this incident or overcrowding in the Tower Hamlets area? Email greg.barradale@bigissue.com to talk anonymously and help shed light on this story.

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
Leaked letter to Tory MPs reveals renting reforms will be 'watered down' to 'appease landlords'
Renters Reform Bill
RENTING

Leaked letter to Tory MPs reveals renting reforms will be 'watered down' to 'appease landlords'

Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn
Housing

Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill
Renters and the Renters Reform Bill
Renting

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill

ONS U-turns on plan to stop publishing data on deaths of homeless people after furious outcry
homeless deaths
homelessness

ONS U-turns on plan to stop publishing data on deaths of homeless people after furious outcry

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know