Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to a fire at a restaurant with flats above on Leigh Street in Bloomsbury.
Part of the basement of the building, a small part of the ground floor and the ducting (extraction system) from the basement to the fourth floor were damaged by the fire. Four people left the restaurant before the arrival of the Brigade and a further two people left the flats above. There were no reports of any injuries.
The Brigade's fire investigators believe the fire was accidental and caused by cooking left unattended.
Station Commander Alan Allmark, who was at the scene, said: "There was a significant amount of smoke issuing from the basement of the building when crews arrived.
"It was a rapidly developing fire which was spreading via the ducting system.
"Firefighters worked hard to bring the fire under control and to prevent it spreading to the upper floors of the building.
"Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill - if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
"We’d also like to remind restaurant and takeaway owners to make sure that they don’t have dirty ducting.
“If you don’t clean your extraction system regularly, you’re at a greater risk of ducting fires.”
The Brigade's 999 Control Officers took eight calls to the blaze.
The Brigade was called at 1231 and the fire was under control by 1337. Fire crews from Euston, Soho, Dowgate, Paddington, Lambeth and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.
Firefighters' top tips for restaurants and takeaways: