TWO firefighters killed in the line of duty in east London were honoured with a red memorial plaque yesterday.

Billy Faust, 36, and Adam Meere, 27, who died in 2004, are the first firefighters to be honoured under the Red Plaque Scheme, funded by the Fire Brigades Union’s Firefighters 100 Lottery.

Mr Faust and Mr Meere lost their lives while tackling a fire in the basement of a three-storey building on Bethnal Green Road.

The red plaque — the union’s take on the English Heritage blue plaque — was unveiled on a plinth at Museum Gardens, a short distance from the scene of the fire.

Dave Faust, Billy’s father, who attended the ceremony, said: “It means a lot to the families of firefighters who have died in the line of duty that their sacrifices are not forgotten.”

The union's good causes lottery will fund a number of other memorial plaques across the country in the coming months.

The Firefighters 100 Lottery has also raised £120,000 to date for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Tickets can be bought at firefighters100lottery.co.uk.