Flames tear through basement of building forcing evacuation

A late-night fire in a cafe forced 20 people to flee the building.

The blaze ripped through the basement of the establishment, in Pitfield Street, Hoxton, at about 2.30am on Saturday morning.

About 20 people managed escape from the premises, which had flats above it, before London Fire Brigade turned up.

Four fire engines and around 20 fire fighters from Shoreditch, Dowgate, Whitechapel and Bethnal Green tackled the blaze and had the situation under control just before 4am.

No one was injured, but the basement was partly damaged by fire.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.