Four adults and four children had a “very lucky escape” from a house fire on Thornton Road in Croydon, in the early hours of this morning.
The group left the property before the arrival of the Brigade and fortunately were uninjured.
The fire affected a terraced house of two floors. Half of the ground floor and part of the first floor were damaged by fire.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “This family were very, very, lucky to escape the fire without injury. They did not have a working smoke alarm in the property and were woken up by the sound of crackling fire before escaping via the front door.
“Everyone should have at least one smoke alarm on every level of their home and the safest option is have those linked together. This will give the earliest warning if there is a fire in your home.”
Four fire engines and 21 firefighters from Purley, Croydon and Norbury fire stations attended the incident.
The Brigade was called at 0157 and the fire was under control at 0229. The cause of the fire is under investigation.