A man has been hospitalised with burns following a fire at a restaurant in Charlton. 

Eight fire engines and 58 firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze at the restaurant with flats above it in Church Lane, this morning (May 26).

The man, suffering minor burns, escaped the restaurant before the brigade arrived after a spark from cooking equipment ignited the fire, which spread quickly.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital.

Station Manager Kris Bedlow, who was at the scene, said: “A man was cooking and it is believed a spark started a fire in the ducting which spread along the restaurant’s extraction system and caused some damage to the ground floor.

"The ducting has got very hot which has ignited the flooring of the floor above.

"Crews worked hard to bring the fire under control quickly.”

Ricardo Da Silva, who lives in a flat above the restaurant, awoke at 7.20am to the smell of smoke coming from the windows.

He said: "At first I thought the neigbours were burning rubbish, until the fire started attacking every bit of wood it could touch including the veranda's roof.

"We thought it was going to rise to our flats when the firemen came.

"Black smoke was flooding through the windows, which was toxic, and meant we had to evacuate the flats."

Firefighters from Greenwich, East Greenwich, Plumstead, Lee Green, Poplar and Shadwell fire stations attended the incident.

The fire brigade was called at 7.44am this morning and the fire was under control just after 11am. 

Are you at the scene? Call 01689 885732 or email jamie.micklethwaite@london.newsquest.co.uk