A fire tore through a flat above a charity shop in Bedfont on Wednesday (June 8) night.

A man and two children managed to getaway unharmed after a fire broke out in the first floor flat on Staines Road before fire crews arrived.

Around 21 firefighters battled for under an hour to put out the flames which gutted half of the four-room flat which also caused some damage to the shop and at least £100 worth of stock.

The extent of the blaze has led to the closure of Age UK Hounslow’s shop in Bedfont on Thursday (June 9), and staff say it is unlikely to reopen for three days due to the extent of repairs required.

Head volunteer Elaine Lawry said: “Some parts have been damaged by water when they (firefighters) were putting out the fire upstairs.

“Some of the stock, around £100 or more, has been damaged too.

“We are unlikely to reopen on Friday (June 10) as windows need cleaning, woodwork needs to dry out and there is water dripping from the ceiling.”

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said they were called to reports of a fire in a flat above a shop on Staines Road and sent four fire engines to the scene.

A spokesman for LFB added: “Part of a four roomed flat above a shop was badly damaged by the blaze.

"A man and two children left the property before the arrival of the Brigade, and no injuries were reported.

"50% of the flat on the first floor has been damaged by a fire.

“We were called at 7.33pm and the fire was under control by 8.23pm.”

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.

Fire crews from Feltham and Twickenham fire stations and a fire engine from a neighbouring brigade attended the scene.

Kimberley Anderson, retail development manager at Age UK Bedfont, added: “Our shop has had a lot of water damage which has taken some of our stock.

“The main thing is we will have to close the shop for three days, which is quite a nuisance for a charity.

“Our shop is all for volunteers and charity and we are working on it to get up and running.

“Luckily the family upstairs are all fine and have offered to help us. We will help each other out along the way.”

Other recent fires include a man escaped from a burning building in Kensington on Sunday (June 5).

Also find out how children have been driving the fire service potty by getting trapped in all kinds of places.