Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters and officers were called to a fire in a row of terraced houses on Lundy Drive in Hayes this afternoon.
The fire affected the roofs of four houses. The first floor of two of the properties and the ground floor of another were also involved in the blaze. Twelve people left the houses before the Brigade arrived.
Station Manager Nick Saunders who was at the scene said: "This was a challenging fire and our crews worked hard to bring it under control and to prevent it from spreading to further properties. Firefighters also identified that there were cylinders nearby and quickly removed them to safety before they could become involved in the fire."
The Brigade was called at 1222 and the fire was under control at 1512.
Crews from Hillingdon, Northolt, Hammersmith, Heston and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.