A fire in a Lebanese restaurant which gutted upstairs flats and caused traffic chaos in south Wimbledon yesterday may have been caused by grease in the extraction system.

The family who live in one of the flats said they have lost everything and are staying with friends after the blaze which saw 21 firefighters and four fire engines go to the Aya Lebanese restaurant in Merton Road from about 2pm yesterday.

Wimbledon Times:

From yesterday: UPDATED: Fire breaks out at Aya Lebanese restaurant in south Wimbledon

They were there for several hours yesterday, closing Merton Road while the fire was brought under control.

Wimbledon Times:

Although no one was hurt in the fire, the flats above the restaurant and the roof of a single storey extension at the rear of the property were seriously damaged in the blaze.

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said the fire began in the extraction system of the restaurant, and that in the majority of cases fires which begin in extraction systems are caused by a build-up of grease.

Wimbledon Times:

However, owner of Aya restaurant Amira Mahfouz said they were still unsure of exactly what happened.

She said: "It suddenly started. We smelled smoke and we called the fire brigade, and suddenly the ceiling came down.

"From the bottom floor of our restaurant you can see all the way into the third floor now. It all collapsed."

She added: "We want to find out exactly what happened. We have never had anything like this happen. We have been shocked really."

A resident of one of the flats above Aya commented on Facebook that her bedroom floor had collapsed in the fire.

She also wrote: "My husband and my two year old daughter lost everything. Luckily we managed to escape on time unhurt."

The community has rallied around the restaurant and flat occupiers, with many offers of help and support flooding over social media since yesterday.

The Alexandra pub in Wimbledon offered the family food, a business opposite the affected restaurant took the family in after the blaze and the SW19 Mums network on Facebook is offering support including food, clothing, toys and advice to the family.

Ms Mahfouz said: "All the local people and our local customers have been so nice. I was so proud.

"Everyone’s said we have their support and they are sorry this has happened to us."

A second Aya restaurant, in Merton High Street, will still be open, and is offering a 20 per cent discount to customers to thank them for their support.