Firefighters have issued a safety reminder after a fire at a restaurant was caused by an unattended pan.
Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters were called to the fire on Gerrard Street in Chinatown.
The third floor of the four storey building was destroyed by the fire and part of the second floor was damaged. Two people left the property before the Brigade arrived and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus led a further two people to safety via an internal staircase. There were no reports of any injuries.
The Brigade's fire investigators believe the fire was caused by an unattended wok igniting oil deposits within the restaurant's ducting system which spread the fire to the floor and roof above.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Whenever you are cooking, it's really important to keep an eye on it all times and never leave it unattended.
"You should also make sure you keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire.
"We'd also 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."
The Brigade was called at 0839 and the fire was under control by 1128. Fire crews from Soho, Euston, Lambeth, Paddington and surrounding fire stations were at the scene.