By Aine Gormley

The border between Shoreditch and the City of London was showered with ash this morning after a fire took hold of a restaurant and office block at about 0400 GMT.

More than 100 fire-fighters arrived in 20 fire engines to tackle the flames at the four-storey building on Tabernacle Street in London’s financial district. The thick smoke could be seen as far away as Liverpool Street Station and Hackney.

London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson said, “This was a complicated fire, spreading rapidly through different premises and onto a bitumen-covered roof, creating huge plumes of smoke across the city and presenting very difficult firefighting conditions for the crews attending.”

Bitumen, used in roofing tar, is mostly composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Some of the PAHs emitted from buring bitumen are carcinogenic to humans. Research has further shown that exposure to bitumen fumes and aerosols may contribute to DNA damage.

“This incident yet again highlights the need for our fire safety work to prevent the fire risk and disruption these incidents have on our capital,” Mr Dobson added.