Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters and officers were called to a fire at a sauna in Nottingham Court, Covent Garden.
A small part of the boiler room in the basement of the building was damaged by fire. Approximately 20 people left the flats above the sauna before the Brigade arrived. There are no reports of any injuries.
Station Manager Brett Loft, who was at the scene, said: “Crews worked really hard in heavily smoke logged conditions using breathing apparatus. It was a complex layout and crews did well to locate the fire in the basement and stop it spreading to adjacent properties.”
The Brigade was called at 0237 and the fire was under control by 0503. Fire crews from Soho, Dowgate, Lambeth, Shoreditch, Islington, Whitechapel and Kentish Town fire stations were at the scene.
The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental and due to the self heating of towels.