Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a dry cleaners on Uxbridge Road in Feltham.
Part of the ground floor of an end-of-terrace dry cleaners was damaged by fire. Firefighters evacuated three people from flats above who were affected by smoke. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire was discovered by a member of the public who saw smoke coming from vents at the rear of the shop. They called 999 and alerted residents in the flats.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by self-heating laundered textiles which had been tumble dried.
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. Make sure you check the manufacturers cleaning recommendations of your textiles before washing.
“Sometimes when materials are cleaned and put in tumble dryers, the heat from the tumble drying cannot escape. This can result in a high enough temperature allowing it to build up to a point where it smoulders and eventually ignites.
“If you are washing and then drying on a hot cycle, always use the cooling cycle on the tumble dryer so it cools down and allow the heat to dissipate properly, before stacking laundered items together.”
The Brigade was called at 0428 and the fire was under control by 0541. Fire crews from Feltham and Twickenham fire stations attended the scene.