Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers were called to a fire at a warehouse unit in Manor Road, Erith.
A forklift truck and a car were destroyed by the fire and part of a van was damaged. A stack of tyres was also destroyed and a small part of the warehouse unit was damaged. There were no reports of any injuries.
Watch Manager Mark Edwards, who was at the scene, said: “There were two cylinders involved so crews worked to cool them to an ambient temperatures as they can explode when exposed to heat.
“Firefighters worked hard to stop the fire spreading and contained it to the yard so damage to the warehouse unit was minimal.”
The Brigade was called at 0003 and the fire was under control at 0220. Fire crews from Erith, Bexley, Plumstead, Sidcup and surrounding fire stations attended.
The cause of the fire is believed to be a hot ember falling from a brazier into rubbish and spreading from there.