Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a converted mid terraced house on Limesford Road in Nunhead.
A small part of a first floor flat and ground floor flat were damaged by the fire. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by self-heating of textiles.
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 manufacturer's 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.”
Control Officers took the first of 3 calls regarding the fire at 1026 and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Peckham, Forest Hill, New Cross and Lewisham Fire Stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 1144.