Four people were rescued after a fire tore through a shed at the rear of a shop with flats in Tooting Bec.
Six fire engines and 35 firefighters and officers were called to the blaze in a timber shed in Upper Tooting Road.
The shed was destroyed, along with part of the ground floor of the shop and the loft space of a terraced house backing onto the site was also damaged.
Fire at the rear of Russell’s DIY. Police have advised to stay clear of the area. #tooting pic.twitter.com/OPl3SCRjLr
— SpiceVillage Tooting (@SpiceVilTooting) October 12, 2017
Crews rescued three women and a man from a flat roof.
One person was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.
Gas cylinders were involved in the fire and crews worked to cool the cylinders as they can explode when exposed to heat.
Witness Katherine O'Mahony, who lives nearby, said she believed the fire was at Russell's Trade and DIY, and that they store gas cylinders “just ten feet from people’s homes”.
She said: “I was returning home and noticed a big crowd building at the end of the road.
“There were lots of firefighters there trying to put out the fire.
“There was a bit of a panic because of the gas canisters.
"There are people turning up all the time to pick up gas canisters, that's why everyone was so scared.”
The Brigade was called at 12.32pm and the fire was under control at 2.26pm.
Fire engines from Tooting, Croydon, West Norwood and Norbury fire stations attended.
The road was sealed off but has since reopened.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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