Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a block of flats on Veals Mead in Mitcham.
A small area of the bedroom in the three-bedroomed flat on the first floor of a three-storey block was damaged by the fire. A man, a woman, and two children left the property before the Brigade arrived.
The flat was fitted with a smoke alarm which alerted the family to the fire. They were assessed by London Ambulance Service crews and taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.
The Brigade’s Fire Investigators found that the cause was accidental. A candle had been left burning in the bedroom while the family slept.
Leading Firefighter Steve Millea, who was at the scene, said: “Candles are one of the most common causes of fire in the home. In this case, it was left to burn as the family inside the property slept.
"The smoke alarm did its job and warned the occupants that a fire had broken out - which is very fortunate as this fire happened in the middle of the night and could have been a lot worse.
"It is vital that you have working smoke alarms in every room where a fire can start, for example any room where appliances are plugged in, plus a heat alarm in the kitchen and the bathroom.”
"We recommend you swap your candles for flameless, LED candles. They are safer as you can leave them unattended and you don't have to worry about them being knocked over or falling asleep while they are on.”
The Brigade was called at 0436 and the fire was under control by 0512. Fire crews from Mitcham, Wimbledon and Tooting fire stations attended the scene.