The president of the Chief Fire Officers Association has described the actions of striking firefighters who walked away from a major blaze in east London as "shameful".
Paul Fuller on Saturday urged them to "reflect" on their behaviour and the impact of their actions on their relations with the public.
"Yesterday I said that I didn't agree with strike action in the fire service, but last evening, firefighters all over this country exercised their right to do that with professionalism and dignity, which is the same dedication and courage they use in support of our communities every day," he told Sky News.
"What we saw a few firefighters do at Dagenham last night when they walked away from an incident in progress I think was shameful, and they should be ashamed of that."
He continued: "I think it just goes against my instincts to have firefighters walking away from an incident in progress.
"I understand their right to strike. All over the country firefighters were on strike, and in London as well, and behaved impeccably and professionally.
There are around 1,500 tonnes of metal alight. Picture: fishycol1/Twitter "What I did not want to see was firefighters on the television walking away from an incident, and I don't think the fire service would want to associate itself with that sort of behaviour."
All on-duty firefighters due to strike in London on Friday night were recalled to their stations by the London Fire Brigade (LBF) under an agreed and voluntary procedure in the event of a major incident.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the London Fire Brigade clashed over the blaze.
The brigade said it expected striking firefighters to remain at the scene because of the seriousness of the incident, but the union said it was not life-threatening.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: "There is no reference to risk of life in the agreed protocols to implement a major incident."
Mr Dobson said a major incident could trigger a recall and the agreement was implemented because of the size of the blaze and the resources needed to deal with it.
By not responding to the recall, he said it was the FBU that was in breach of the agreement.
But FBU London Secretary Paul Embery said the recall was not agreed.
He said the London Fire Brigade had been giving assurances that their "contingencies were sufficient".
The London Fire Brigade received 124 emergency 999 calls during the strike, with replacement crews attending 17 incidents in the capital, including the one at Dagenham.
Of the 27 fire appliances in operation for contingency, a total of 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters attended the blaze on Perry Road.
Cylinders were also believed to be involved and a hazard zone was put in place in case they exploded due to the intense heat.
Smoke can be seen from miles around. Picture: JSinghLon/Twitter Black smoke from the site could be seen from miles around, and residents were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.
Police officers and ambulance crews also attended the scene. There are no reported injuries, but several local roads were closed and motorists advised to avoid the area if possible.
London Mayor Boris Johnson said he supported the decision to recall all striking FBU staff.
It came as firefighters in the rest of England and Wales went ahead with the strike in their dispute with the Government over pensions, on what was expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for the service ahead of Bonfire Night and Diwali celebrations.
Members of the FBU walked out at 6.30pm, mounting picket lines outside fire stations until the stoppage ended at 11pm.
A further two-hour strike will be held from 6am on Monday, the day before Bonfire Night.
Fire brigades across the country have urged members of the public to put off any firework displays in their own gardens and to switch it to Saturday, or go to an organised event.
The union held a four-hour stoppage last month but called off another strike after it appeared a deal was in sight, but officials said the Government and fire employers had failed to offer any firm guarantees on jobs or pensions as a result of changing the pension age from 55 to 60.
The union fears firefighters will be made redundant if they fail fitness tests, and are unable to find other work in the fire service.
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