The cause of a major fire in a Wembley restaurant - which took 70 firefighters two hours to extinguish in the early hours of this morning - has been revealed.

Investigators from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) believe a fire broke out at The Shed in The Broadway because of fat and grease deposits within its smoke extraction system, which were ignited by an ember.

The Brigade was called to the Lebanese eatery at 2.18am today - Monday, February 28 - with crews using 10 fire engines to get the fire under control by 4.13am.

It is thought that the fire went up through the ducting system and set the roof alight, causing it to be completely gutted by the blaze.

Flats on the first and second floor were also damaged alongside with the restaurant on the ground floor.

Luckily there were no reports of any injuries.

About 30 adults and 15 children left the building before the Brigade arrived, and were taken to a nearby church and placed in the care of the local authority.

A spokesperson for the LFB said: “Restaurant and takeaway owners should always take care to make sure their extraction systems are kept clean as a build up of fat and grease within the filters can lead to a fire.”

To avoid a similar fate, they encouraged other such owners to have their ducting cleaned regularly in accordance with guidance TR/19, and to ensure it is installed correctly.

The LFB also recommended that all electrical items are tested, maintained and checked regularly, and that fire risk assessments should be completed.

It is also advised that owners make a plan in the case of an emergency.

Crews from Wembley, Park Royal, Willesden, Northolt and surrounding stations were at the scene.

The Times contacted the owners of the restaurant for comment.