Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters attended a tent fire on North Circular Road in Wanstead.
A tent and a large area of wasteland were damaged by the fire, with the tent being completely destroyed. Two men were taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews. One of the men sadly later died in hospital.
The Brigade were called at 2356 and the fire was under control at 0209. Fire crews from Ilford, Stratford and East Ham fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Brigade and police.