FLATS above and around a dry cleaners had to be evacuated after a fire ripped through the store and gutted the premises.
Four fire engines were dispatched to the blaze in Hither Green Lane, Greenwich, at 4.15am this morning.
Due the chemicals in the shops' cleaning machinery, crews had to dam the drains using specialist environmental equipment to stop them entering the water supply.
Several residents evacuated were taken to hospital as a precaution and the fire was under control within half an hour.
One fireman who was at the scene confirmed the cause of the blaze is under investigation but added: "It is suspected this fire was started maliciously."
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