On a warm Friday evening in late August, the Indian Aroma restaurant in Gants Hill, Ilford, became the scene of a terrifying incident that has left a community shaken and three people fighting for their lives. The suspected arson attack, which occurred just after 9pm on August 22, 2025, has prompted widespread concern, a significant police investigation, and calls for vigilance from both authorities and local residents.
CCTV footage, widely circulated by outlets including Sky News and the Evening Standard, captured the chilling moments leading up to the blaze. The video appears to show a group of individuals with their faces covered entering the Indian Aroma restaurant on Woodford Avenue. Within seconds, they pour an unidentified liquid onto the floor. The footage then shows the interior of the restaurant engulfed in flames, as at least one diner desperately tries to escape the inferno. Moments later, a man is seen running out of the building, his clothing ablaze—a sight that witnesses described as nothing short of nightmarish.
Emergency services responded swiftly. According to the London Fire Brigade, crews from Ilford, Hainault, Leytonstone, and Woodford rushed to the scene after receiving multiple calls about the fire. By 10:32pm, firefighters had extinguished the blaze, but the damage was already done. Part of the ground floor of the restaurant was severely damaged, and five people—three women and two men—were rescued and treated by paramedics for burns and smoke inhalation. Three of those injured remain in life-threatening condition in hospital, as confirmed by the Metropolitan Police.
The aftermath was described by eyewitnesses as haunting. Sayed Bokhari, a local businessman who has operated in the area for 15 years, recounted to the PA news agency and the Evening Standard the emotional toll the incident has taken. “He was crying. He was very shocked. He was really crying. He was extremely scared,” Bokhari said of the restaurant’s manager. Bokhari himself expressed deep unease, stating, “It’s awful and it’s very scary. It looked like a scene from Halloween. It was a serious, dramatic thing and people were running around him.”
Bokhari also voiced concerns shared by many local business owners. “It is scary because we run retail stores which are welcoming customers in. The doors are open like the doors of your house. We cannot body check everyone to see if they are safe. There is only so much that high street security can do. It is scary. You are worried for people. You are worried about your business. London is not such a fun place any more.”
Other residents echoed the sense of horror and helplessness. Hospital porter Edward Thawe, who lives nearby, stepped outside with his 12-year-old son after hearing screams. “It was horrible—more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice,” Thawe told the BBC and ITV News. He described seeing a man with “his whole body burnt, including his shirt, but he was still wearing his trousers.” Thawe believed the man and a woman he saw outside might have been customers caught in the chaos. Another local, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he saw three severely burned people being given oxygen by emergency workers. “I can only imagine the pain they were going through. I could not sleep properly last night over it. It was just absolutely horrible situation.”
The scene on Saturday morning was somber and tense. Uniformed officers maintained a cordon around the restaurant, which faces onto a busy main road. Forensic officers in protective clothing examined the site, collecting evidence and bagging up several items in clear plastic carriers. A trail of what appeared to be bloodstained or bloody footprints was spotted along the pavement, a grim reminder of the panic and pain experienced by those fleeing the fire.
Authorities have been quick to reassure the public, though questions remain unanswered. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers of the Metropolitan Police’s Central Specialist Crime North unit addressed the community’s fears in statements to multiple outlets: “We understand this incident will cause concern within the community. My team of specialist detectives are working at speed to piece the incident together. Locals can expect to see a large police presence in the area. If you have any concerns, please speak to those officers on the ground.”
Despite the rapid response and ongoing investigation, no arrests have been made as of August 24, 2025. Both the cause of the fire and the identities of the attackers are under investigation by the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Met at 101, quoting reference 7559/22AUG, or to reach out to Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555111.
The London Ambulance Service provided further details about the emergency response. “We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team. We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance. We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals,” a spokesperson told ITV News and Sky News.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who represents Ilford North, publicly thanked the emergency services for their swift response. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Huge thanks to @metpoliceuk @LondonFire @Ldn_Ambulance for their response to a serious incident on Gants Hill/Woodford Avenue this evening. Please avoid the area for now. Further updates will follow from @RedbridgeLive and emergency services.”
The attack has sparked debate about security and safety in London’s public spaces, especially among those whose livelihoods depend on welcoming customers into open, accessible businesses. The sense of vulnerability is palpable. As Bokhari pointed out, “You are worried for people. You are worried about your business.”
For now, the community of Ilford is left grappling with shock, fear, and a deep sense of unease, as police continue their search for answers. The Indian Aroma restaurant, once a bustling hub for local diners, stands as a stark reminder of the violence that erupted so suddenly and the resilience required to move forward. With three people still fighting for their lives, the hope is that those responsible will be brought to justice, and that the community can begin to heal from this traumatic event.
