Firefighters have issued a reminder of their smoking safety advice following a fire at a range of mid terraced shops with dwellings above on Newlands Park in Sydenham.
Part of the ground floor and half of the first floor of a flat were damaged by the fire. Half of a ground floor shop and part of a flat above the shop were damaged by the fire. Most of the ground floor and part of the first floor of a third flat were damaged by the fire. An outbuilding and a shed were destroyed by the fire.
One woman was rescued from a ground floor shop by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus and was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service. Four people left one of the flats before the Brigade arrived.
The fire is believed to have been accidental and was caused by the unsafe use of smoking materials.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "If you smoke it is vitally important you stub it right out, preferably in an ashtray.
"Always ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire.
"Firefighters recommend that you have a look at our online Home Fire Safety Checker to make sure there are no hidden hazards in your home.
"The online tool will ask you a series of questions that will help us work out the level of risk in your home, or the home of someone you care for. It only takes a few minutes to get tailored advice to keep yourself and loved ones safe from fire.”
One of the Brigade's 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as an observation tower to provide the Incident Commander with a view of the fire from above.
Control Officers took the first of 17 calls at 1410 and mobilised ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters from Beckenham, Woodside, Lewisham and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was under control by 1641.