Firefighters are issuing a reminder about cooking safely following a fire at a flat on Smugglers Way in Wandsworth.
The fire occurred in a building with commercial units on the ground floor and flats above. Part of a fourth-floor flat was damaged by fire. One person was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service to be treated for smoke inhalation. A further person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The fire is being treated as accidental and is believed to have been caused by cooking left unattended.
Station Commander Mick Palmer, who attended the scene, said: "Cooking should never be left unattended on the hob or grill - if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
"Be fabric aware – loose clothing can easily catch fire, so take care not to lean over a hot hob, and always keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
“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 received the first of seven calls about the fire at 2327 and Control Officers mobilised crews from Wandsworth, Battersea, Fulham and surrounding fire stations to the scene. A 32-metre turntable ladder from Clapham Fire Station also attended and was deployed as an observation tower, providing the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the incident.
The fire was extinguished by 0119.