Firefighters have issued a reminder of their cooking safety advice following a house fire on Allenby Road in Southall.
The first floor and roof of two terraced houses were completely destroyed by fire. Seven adults and four children evacuated the properties before the Brigade arrived.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by cooking.
Sub Officer Andy Thornton was at the scene, he 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 999 Control officers received the first of 17 calls at 2055. They deployed crews from Ealing, Wembley, Harrow and Southall fire stations. The fire was under control by 2313.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.