A busy Soho street was cordoned off today as more than 20 firefighters battled to extinguish a blaze in an apartment block.
The fire brigade was called to Dean Street at 11am after the fire broke out in a basement kitchen and spread to a restaurant's extraction sytem as well as a flat roof.
A resident who lives in the same block described being woken up by the smell of smoke and having to rush outside.
Tristan Pineiro told the Standard: “I have the day off for Christmas shopping so we were still in bed. The smell of smoke and the fire engine woke me up, so we grabbed the dog and ran out.
“The flat’s full of smoke - we're first floor and it looks like it's the top floor.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the fire was affecting “around 10 per cent” of an apartment roof as four fire engines were employed to stop the flames spreading.
They said: “Four fire engines and 21 firefighters and officers have been called to a fire at a restaurant and flats on Dean Street in Soho.
“The Brigade was called at 1100. Crews from Soho, Lambeth and Islington fire stations are attending the incident.”
The busy, central district suffered increased congestion throughout the morning as traffic sought alternative routes.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
