Sixty firefighters tackled a blaze at a convenience store in Thamesmead in the early hours of Sunday morning, after part of the shop was destroyed by fire.
The fire broke out at Dynamic Food and Wine, a convenience store on Whinchat Road with flats above, destroying part of the ground floor shop.
Five people were evacuated from the flats above the shop using an internal staircase.
London Fire Brigade was called to the scene at 2.16am. Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters attended, with crews from Plumstead, East Greenwich, Erith, Eltham, Bexley and Lee Green.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were called to a fire at a convenience store with flats above in Thamesmead.”
The six stations that sent crews span the surrounding area, from Plumstead and East Greenwich to the west and north, to Erith and Bexley to the east and Eltham and Lee Green to the south — a reflection of the scale of the response needed for a fire in a building with homes above a shop.
Fires in shops with flats above are among the most serious incidents firefighters attend, because of the risk to residents sleeping upstairs and the need to evacuate them quickly while tackling the blaze below. In this case, the five residents were brought out using the building’s internal staircase.
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed. Fire investigators will normally examine the scene once the building is safe to determine how the blaze started.
Residents in the area were likely to have seen a large emergency presence through the early hours, with eight engines and dozens of firefighters at the scene in the middle of the night.
London Fire Brigade has previously urged shopkeepers and landlords of buildings with flats above commercial premises to ensure escape routes are kept clear, smoke alarms are working and fire risk assessments are up to date.
