A fire at a laundrette in Old Street, Islington is believed to have been caused by textiles that were left in a tumble dryer.
Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters were called the fire in the basement of the four storey building.
Part of the laundrette was damaged by fire. There were no reports of any injuries.
The cause of the fire is believed to have been the self heating of textiles in a tumble dryer.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
“These types of fires often involve textiles that become contaminated with oil, most commonly linseed, massage and cooking oil on tea towels, tablecloths and chef whites.
“Sometimes when materials are cleaned, put in tumble dryers and then either left inside or taken out, folded and stacked, the residual oils in the textiles can self heat. This can result in the temperature building up to a point where the material smoulders and eventually ignites.”
The Brigade was called at 2136 and the fire was under control by 2246. Fire crews from Shoreditch, Islington, Tower Hamlets, and Soho fire stations attended the incident.