A man was rescued from the roof of a terraced building after a fire broke out in Finsbury Park in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The London Fire Brigade was alerted to the blaze at a residential block and commercial unit on Seven Sisters Road at around 3.36am.

Eight fire engines and some 60 firefighters from crews in Holloway, Stoke Newington, Kentish Town, and Islington were subsequently dispatched to the scene.

Three people had already managed to escape from the burning building before crews arrived, but a fourth person was rescued from the roof by the brigade using a ladder.

Crews worked at the scene using a 32-metre turntable ladder as a water tower, so they could tackle the flames from above, before bringing the blaze under control by 5.29am.

The roof of the end-of-terrace building is understood to have suffered damage in the fire, while all four people have been taken to hospital.

The brigade remains on the scene to dampen down any hotspots and to ensure the area is safe. People are being asked to stay away from the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Station Commander Duncan Rees, who was at the scene, said: “Crews worked in difficult conditions to bring the fire under control and rescue a person from the building.

“One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used as a water tower, allowing firefighters to tackle the flames from above.

“We asked members of the public to avoid the area where possible while crews worked to bring the incident under control.

“Crews remain at the scene this morning, damping down hot spots and making sure the area is safe.”