Firefighters are sharing their advice for cooking with hot oil after a fire at a takeaway shop on London Road in Norbury.
Part of the ground floor of the building was damaged by 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 caused by a fire in a fryer spreading into the extraction system.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill - if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
“Cooking with hot oil can be really dangerous and the risk increases when you start frying food more than once. All it can take is for you to become distracted for a few seconds and your cooking oil can quickly go up in flames.
“Never fill a pan more than one third full of fat or oil and make sure food is dry before putting it in hot oil – oil and water are a dangerous mix.
“If the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot so turn off the heat and leave it to cool. We also advise using an electronic deep fat fryer if possible – they have automatic temperature controls and are much safer.
"It's also really important to keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire."
The Brigade’s Control Officers took the first of three calls to the fire at 1229 and mobilised four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Norbury, Tooting and Mitcham fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1331.