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'Olive' from On the Buses dies in a house fire: Star of 70s comedy and EastEnders Anna Karen, 85, is killed in horror blaze in Ilford

Firefighters were called to the scene of the tragedy at her east London home just after 10.30pm last night

Crews brought the blaze under control in an hour but actress was pronounced dead at the scene

Neighbours were alerted after hearing screams of 'help me, help me' coming from inside the property 

On The Buses and EastEnders actress Anna Karen has died in a house fire in east London - after neighbours heard screams of 'help me, help me' coming from inside the wheelchair-bound star's home.

Tributes have flooded in for the star - who was lifelong friends with Barbara Windsor - this afternoon, including from Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker, who described her as 'an absolute treasure, both on and off the screen'.

She boasted a bulging CV of acting credits, including appearances in the Carry On films and a string of pantomimes - but she will be fondly remembered for her role as Olive in 70s comedy On The Buses.

She also starred as Aunt Sal, sister of Peggy Mitchell, in EastEnders for which she was best known - an on-and-off part spanning more than 20 years.

Karen was married to fellow comedic actor Terry Duggan, who also appeared in On The Buses as Nobby, while also featuring in the likes of Only Fools and Horses and Are You Being Served? He died in 2008 aged 76.

Fire chiefs are still investigating the cause of the tragic inferno, which a crew of around 20 firefighters were called to tackle at around 10.30pm on Windsor Road, Ilford last night.

The blaze was brought under control on the ground floor of her terraced house within an hour but emergency workers were unable to save the star, who was pronounced dead at the scene. 

A family friend said this afternoon: 'We are absolutely horrified at the news about Anna.' 

Neighbours told MailOnline they were alerted to the fire after hearing screams of 'help me, help me,' coming from the inside of Karen's home.

Sumi Popat, 62 said: 'It was around 10.30pm and we could hear loud screams of 'help me, help me.' I rushed out and there was smoke coming out of Anna's house and the screams for help got louder. Some of us immediately called the fire brigade.'

Kirti Munnasinghe, 42 said that he was returning from work at around 10.30pm and heard the screams just as he was entering his front door.

He added: 'I could hear someone screaming 'help me' and realised they were coming from Anna's house. Then I noticed smoke started coming out. We all know her around here, it's a very close knit community and she was very popular. As more smoke came out the screams for help were getting more desperate, it was very frightening.'

Neighbours revealed that Anna lived alone in the three bedroom property and was confined to the ground floor as she was disabled and used a wheelchair. The former actress was being looked after by carers who visited four times per day.

Mrs Popat revealed that she often cooked for Anna, who particularly enjoyed Indian food, adding: 'We all knew about Anna's famous past but none of us made a big deal of it. There's a big Asian community around here but she was just one of us. 

'Anna loved Indian food and my sister and I would regularly make it for her because she was on her own, disabled and it cheered her up.'

Neighbour Sunny Soodh said: 'It was awful to hear those screams. We all knew Anna, she was a lovely lady but very isolated in recent times. About three fire engines turned up, two ambulances and the police but they couldn't save her. It's heart breaking and we'll miss her.'

Sivalai Pavananthakumar, 33, said: 'There was a lot of smoke, and flames, people in the street had seen what was happening and came out to try and help. The fire brigade and police were here quickly and kicked down the door, there was so much smoke.'

He added: 'I recognised her and would see her everyday when I took my children to school, she was a nice old lady and always said hello.'

Another neighbour added: 'I knew her from Eastenders, it was like having a celebrity living in the street, she was a lovely old lady and always spoke to everyone.'