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A couple said their lives and wedding have “turned to dust” after a fire engulfed a multi-storey building in Dagenham.

Lukasz Kurek and Agnieszka Uliasz, who were getting ready to marry in September, lived in a flat in the tower on Freshwater Road, east London.

More than 80 people were evacuated from the building after it caught fire just before 3am on Monday. The couple said they only had time to get their phones and dog before running to safety.

“The worst thing is that we were supposed to have our wedding in three weeks, that was meant to be the best day of our lives,” Mr Kurek told Sky News.

“It’s turned into dust and nothing because of that fire that has occurred. We are devastated.

“We are in dead end. We’ve got no money, nowhere to sleep, nothing, nowhere.”

Ms Uliasz said their documents and passports were left behind, and said she was meant to fly to Poland on Saturday. Her wedding dress, which cost £2,500, was also lost in the fire.

 Agnieszka Uliasz in her wedding dress
Image:
Agnieszka Uliasz in her wedding dress

The lorry driver added that “there was smoke everywhere” as they left their flat. “We couldn’t breathe when we were coming out of the building,” he said.

“You don’t know how advanced the fire is when someone comes into your flat and tells you ‘oh, there is a fire, we got to go’.

“We didn’t know where the fire was, we only saw the smoke.”

He then told Sky News: “We are happy we are still alive, but our plans are ruined totally.”

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Pic: UKNIP
Image:
Pic: UKNIP

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the blaze engulfed the whole building, including scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof.

More than 200 firefighters took part in what was called a “significant search and rescue operation”, and managed to save a further 20 people from the burning tower block.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, LFB commissioner Andy Roe Goulbourne said everyone had been accounted for and the fire was under control.

He told reporters at a press conference that the brigade was aware “there were known safety issues” with the building, and added fire enforcement action to carry out cladding replacement was started in 2023.

The commissioner also offered his “sincerest sympathies” to the residents of the tower block, who suffered what he described as “the most traumatic experience”, before adding: “We will be here for many days to make sure this site is left as safe as it possibly can be.”

London Fire Brigade Fire Commissioner Andy Roe, at the scene in Dagenham.
Pic: PA
Image:
London Fire Brigade Fire Commissioner Andy Roe, at the scene in Dagenham.
Pic: PA

A firefighter and a fire safety officer looking at the scene in Dagenham, London, following a blaze at a block of flats on Freshwater Road. 
Pic PA
Image:
A firefighter and a fire safety officer looking at the scene in Dagenham, London.
Pic PA

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who visited the site of the blaze, also said the damage was “horrific” and praised how “the community and the first responders, the council, and all of the emergency services came together”.

She said: “You can see the level of damage that’s happened to the building, and I’m incredibly grateful for those that responded and managed to make sure that everybody was out of that building safely.”

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The fire service previously said the block, described as a mixed-use residential and commercial building, was covered in “non-compliant” cladding.

Scaffolding surrounding the building was in place to remove the cladding and a fire enforcement notice issued last year highlighted concerns inspectors had at the time.

An investigation into the fire is under way and will examine what role, if any, the cladding played.

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

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Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title parade faces 24 new charges.

More than 130 people, including children, were injured when Paul Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy vehicle into hordes of fans at the celebrations on 26 May.

The 53-year-old, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of dangerous driving.

Six of the new alleged offences relate to babies, including one six-month-old and one seven-month-old, proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.

The new indictment, which was not read out in court, now has 31 counts relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.

Doyle now faces 18 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray.

He appeared in court via video link from prison and was in tears.

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He did not enter any pleas during the hearing, which lasted around 20 minutes.

The case was adjourned until 4 September, when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

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Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

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“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

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Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

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District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

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