Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a fire at a restaurant with flats above on London Road in Norbury.
A small area of the restaurant was damaged by fire while the remainder of the restaurant was damaged by the smoke. Smoke also damaged the communal areas of the flats above and some of the flats themselves sustained smoke damage.
Residents in the flats above the shop were evacuated by the Metropolitan Police before the Brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries.
The cause of the blaze was accidental. A deep fat fryer had been left on unattended, which heated and ignited the oil.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous, as it can easily overheat, so it’s important to keep an eye on it at all times. If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.”
The Brigade was called at 1148 and the fire was under control by 1254. Fire crews from Norbury and West Norwood fire stations attended the scene.