Police are investigating a fire that broke out on Woodville Road in Thornton Heath yesterday evening (April 26).

A commander from London Fire Brigade (LFB) warned residents to make sure they had fitted, working smoke alarms in their homes after a woman was rescued from the fire by crews who attended.

Around six fire engines and 40 firefighters were called to the flat fire at 6.16pm Monday evening, which spread to at least two three-roomed flats on the first and third floors of the building that were damaged by fire.

During the blaze, a shed, a storage box and surrounding fencing and decking at the rear of a first floor flat were also destroyed.

As some 20 people evacuated from the building, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus assisted one woman from a flat on the third floor to safety who was assessed on scene by London Ambulance Service crews.

Station Commander Matt Williams, who was at the scene, said LFB crews worked "extremely hard to quickly bring the fire under control and stop it from spreading to the rest of the building".

She added: "We’d like to remind residents of the importance of having working smoke alarms fitted inside your property.

"Make sure you also test them at least once a week."

"The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service," a spokesperson for LFB confirmed.