Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at a takeaway restaurant with flats above on London Road in Norbury.
Part of the ground floor takeaway was damaged by fire and the ducting (extraction system) from the ground floor to the roof of the property was destroyed. Firefighters evacuated around 26 people. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by grease igniting within the extraction system.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “On arrival, crews saw smoke coming from the roof of a single-storey extension to the rear of the restaurant. They then discovered a developed fire within the ducting system which had spread to the roof space.
"We’d like to remind restaurant and takeaway owners to ensure they don't have dirty ducting. If you don't clean the ducting in your extraction system regularly, you're at a greater risk of ducting fires.
“This is also a timely reminder of just how important it is to have working smoke alarms in your property and to test them regularly.”
The Brigade was called at 1728 and the fire was under control by 1901. Fire crews from Norbury, West Norwood, Croydon and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.