Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers were called to a fire at a block of flats in Beauchamp Road, Upper Norwood.
Most of a ground floor flat was damaged by fire. A neighbour was alerted by a smoke alarm sounding in the affected flat. Station Manager Chris Payton, who was at the incident, said: “It’s incidents like these that show how important it is to have a working smoke alarm that you check regularly in your home. This will give the earliest warning if there is a fire in your home.”
One woman left the building before the arrival of the Brigade. One man and one woman were led to safety by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. All three were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service.
The Brigade was called at 0747 and the fire was under control at 0815. Fire crews from West Norwood and Norbury and Woodside fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.