Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of flats on Childers Street in Deptford.
The fire occurred at a six-storey building. Three flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building were partially damaged by fire. Each of the three flats' balconies were destroyed in the fire. Decking on a flat roof on the first floor of the building was also damaged.
Around 50 people were evacuated from the building to a local community centre. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire is believed to have been caused by the unsafe disposal 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."
The fire was extremely visible and Control Officers took several emergency calls from members of the public travelling on a nearby railway line reporting the fire.
The Brigade received the first of 15 calls at 1900 and Control Officers mobilised crews from Deptford, New Cross, Old Kent Road and surrounding fire stations to the scene. A turntable ladder was also deployed, along with the Brigade's drone team, to provide the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.
The fire was brought under control by 2004.