Traffic chaos now clearing as road reopens

Three women were saved from a flat above a supermarket in Stoke Newington Road which caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.

Police closed the road as the rescue operation got underway. But the busy route reopened ahead of rush hour.

The women were were trapped on the third floor when the blaze broke out just before 2.55pm.

They were saved by firefighters who climbed an internal staircase wearing breathing apparatus.

Paramedics treated two of the women, aged 36 and 18, and took them to Homerton Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The third was checked over at the scene.

Twenty firefighters from Stoke Newington, Kingsland and Holloway stations had the flames under control by 3.30pm.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.