Firefighters rescued a man from a fire at a flat above a restaurant on Great Queen Street in Covent Garden.
Half of a two-roomed flat on the first floor of a mid-terraced building was damaged by fire.
The fire was discovered by a passer-by who saw smoke coming from a first-floor window. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus rescued a man from a first-floor flat via an internal staircase. He was treated on scene before being taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service crews.
The Brigade was called at 0532 and the fire was under control by 0636. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Soho, Euston, Dowgate and Lambeth fire stations attended the scene.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by the use of a coal fire.