Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a mid terraced shop with dwellings above on Grays Inn Road in Holborn.
Part of a ground floor shop was damaged by the fire. Five people left the building before the Brigade arrived. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and was caused by the self heating of laundry.
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 manufacturers 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 call at 0519 and mobilised crews from Islington, Shoreditch and Soho fire stations to the scene. The incident was over for firefighters at 0624.