FLATS had to be evacuated overnight as fifty firefighters battled a blaze in the shop below.
Crews used grinders to break through the metal shutters of the store in Burnt Ash Road, Lee, while their colleagues got the people out from the homes above.
They managed to get them all out before the fire took hold in the shop next to the Iceland store.
It is said to have started in the back of the building and has caused very bad fire and smoke damage to the property.
The cause of the fire is now under investigation.
Two crews remain at the scene damping down and checking for hotspots.
Burnt Ash Road remains closed because of the incident, between Lee High Road and Westhorne Avenue/ Burnt Ash Hill.
It is also affecting Effingham Road both ways between Burnt Ash Road and Manor Lane.
Bus routes 202 and 261 are on diversion.
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