Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to a fire in a hospital building on Winsland Street in Paddington.
A laundry store room on the ground floor was destroyed by fire. Around 70 members of staff and patients were evacuated as a precaution due to smoke gathering in the building. There were no injuries reported.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by self-heating 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.”
The Brigade's Control Officers received eight calls about the fire and mobilised crews from Paddington, North Kensington, Euston and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was brought under control at 1236.