Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at an industrial estate on Ferry Lane in Rainham.
The fire involved three shipping containers of mixed household goods. There are no reports of any injuries.
A water relay system was implemented as part of firefighting operations. Fire engines were stationed between the incident site and the nearest water hydrant, and then connected together by hose. This allowed crews to pump a constant supply of water to the scene of the fire.
Control Officers took one call at 2145 and mobilised crews from Wennington, Dagenham, Barking and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 0044.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.