Two people escaped serious injury after fleeing from their Battersea maisonette as fire tore through the block of flat's third floor.
There were fears a third person was still in the building but a search revealed the property was empty.
Fire crews were called at 4am last Friday to Sancroft Court in Battersea Bridge Road to find a man suffering from smoke inhalation and a woman suffering from shock. They were taken to hospital as a precaution.
At least four fire engines were used to bring the blaze under control, but not before it gutted the third floor.
The house was fitted with a smoke alarm but it had no batteries.
A Fire Brigade spokesman said: "Had the alarm had batteries the occupants may have been alerted to the fire before it managed to take hold."
He added that free smoke alarms and fire safety advice can be obtained from the brough's fire stations.
December 14, 2001 11:30
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