A chemical reaction caused a fire in a Tooting shop and the flat above last night.
The fire brigade believe waste sunflower oil on rags left in a plastic bin created a chemical reaction that caused the fire in Upper Tooting Road, Tooting.
They say the reaction, known as exothermic oxidation, was at the origin of the blaze that damaged part of the ground floor shop, believed to be Tooting Daily Fresh Naan and the first floor flat.
The fire brigade was called at 23:20pm after local neighbours raised the alarm.
Four people left the next door property as a precaution before the arrival of firefighters.
Fire crews from Tooting, Wimbledon, and Clapham fire stations attended the scene and the blaze was under control at 2:14am today.
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