FIRE has badly damaged a row of garages which caught light in East London. Emergency crews in breathing apparatus searched the single-storey premises in Poplar, when two girls were seen by in the lock-up units

FIRE has badly damaged a row of garages which caught light in East London.

Emergency crews in breathing apparatus searched the single-storey premises at Lovegrove Walk off Preston’s Road in Poplar in the early hours of Tuesday, when two girls were seen by a passer-by in one of the eight lock-up units, but no-one was found.

Flames shot 15ft into the air, causing smoke to billow across the street, but no-one was injured. Fire investigators were later looking into the cause.