Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers were called to a fire in a restaurant on George Lane in South Woodford on Saturday afternoon.
The fire involved a hot fryer and spread through the kitchen’s extraction system due to a build up of grease deposits in the ducting. Crews wearing breathing apparatus led a man and two women to safety from a flat above the restaurant and another four people left the restaurant before the Brigade arrived. Part of the restaurant and all of the ducting – extraction system – were damaged by the blaze.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Restaurant and take-away owners should always take care to make sure their extraction systems are kept clean as a build up of fat and grease within the filters can lead to a fire.”
Firefighters also visited the flats above the restaurant to give residents fire safety advice and fit smoke alarms after it was found that none of the flats had them installed.
The Brigade spokesperson added: "Homes need multiple and linked smoke alarms or you won’t be properly covered. Ideal spots for smoke alarms include rooms where you leave electrical equipment running like satellite boxes, computers or heaters; any room where you smoke, and anywhere you charge your mobile or laptop.
“As a minimum you should have smoke alarms on every floor - in the hallways and the rooms you use the most, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen. They should be linked together and tested regularly.”
The Brigade was called at 1259 and the fire was under control at 1359. Crews from Woodford, Leytonstone, Walthamstow and Chingford fire stations attended the incident