Five people were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus from a fire in a shop with flats above it on Princess Parade, off Golders Green Road, Golders Green.
Three people were been rescued via a ladder, two were led to safety by crews and 25 people were evacuated before the arrival of the Brigade.
All of the ground floor of the shop and a large section of the first floor was alight and over 95 firefighters and officers tackled the fire.
Station Manager Paul Fitzgerald was at the scene said;
“Crews used specialist cutting equipment to break in through the shop’s roller shutters at the front of the building and worked quickly in very difficult and smoky conditions to rescue three people via ladder and lead two to safety. The alarm was raised by a member of the public who noticed smoke coming from the building.”
15 fire engines and an aerial ladder platform from stations including Hendon, West Hampstead, Finchley and Mill Hill fire stations were at the scene
The Brigade was called at 0732 and the fire was under control at 1940 on Sunday evening. Crews remained on the scene through the day on Monday damping down remaining hotspots.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.