Four children and four adults escaped a fire in a terraced house on Pascoe Road in Lewisham yesterday evening.
The eight people managed to get out of the building uninjured before crews arrived to tackle the blaze which left part of the ground and first floors damaged and destroyed a conservatory.
They were alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm that had been previously fitted by the Brigade.
Station Manager Jim Hewitt who was at the scene, said: "Crews could see plumes of black smoke in the sky while en-route to this incident. They worked very hard to stop the fire spreading and bring it under control quickly, limiting the damage caused to the house.
"This incident shows why having a smoke alarm is so important. The alarm that alerted the residents had been fitted by firefighters earlier in the year and gave the residents precious time to escape. We recommend having a working smoke alarm on each level of your home and testing it regularly."
The Brigade was called at 2038 and the fire was under control by 2135. Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters from Lewisham, Greenwich, Lea Green and Forest Hill fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation.