Around 100 firefighters were called to battle a major blaze on a high street.
Fire crews rushed to Penge High Street in South East London at around 4.30am.
Pictures show huge flames coming from a Poundland store, with a large part of the shop’s ground floor alight.
Nearby properties were evacuated as firefighters worked to tackle the flames.
Flames could be seen towering above rooftops near to the scene of the fire
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Residents were urged to close their doors and windows due to the smoke.
Orange flames could be seen towering above the rooftops of houses nearby.
Fire crews used a 32-metre ladder to douse the fire from above.
As of 7am, firefighters remained at the scene.
London Fire Brigade said the cause of the blaze was not yet known.
A statement from the brigade read: “Fifteen fire engines and around 100 firefighters have been called to a fire on High Street in Penge.
“Firefighters are tackling a fire in a two storey terraced shop where a large part of the ground floor is alight.
“Fire crews are using a 32-metre turntable ladder as a water tower to help extinguish the fire from above and the Brigade’s drone team is providing the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.”
Footage captured this morning shows black smoke filling the air
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Firefighters based at stations including Beckenham, Forest Hill, Woodside, West Norwood were sent to the scene in the early hours.
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