A fire at a popular curry restaurant caused about £10,000 worth of damage, it has emerged.

A fire broke out in The Star of India in High Road, Leytonstone, when an industrial extractor unit in the kitchen caught fie at 4pm on Monday (June 28).

The restaurant was not open to customers but around five staff, including the owner Shah Ahmed, left the smoke-filed restaurant before the fire brigade arrived.

Four fire engines and around 20 firefighters tackled the blaze, which was contained to the kitchen, and helped ventilate the "thick black smoke" that had built up.

Mr Ahmed, who has been in charge of the business since his father died in 2000, estimates there to be around £10,000 worth of damage, including the cost of purchasing a new extractor and a deep clean of the walls due to smoke damage.

He said: “If the extractor had been dirty and full of grease it would really have gone up quickly. The blaze could have been absolutely devastating.

“I am so relieved we get it cleaned once a week or it could have been so much worse.

“I was really scared when I saw the flame I thought ‘oh my god’. I was worried for the people who lived upstairs, the new cafe next door and the radio station.

“But luckily as soon as the alarms went off my staff knew the drill and got out and no-one else was hurt.

“The support I have had has been absolutely amazing, the customers and next-door shops are like a big family over here. We have had lots of offers to help clean up. We are so grateful.”

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The road was closed for more than two hours as a result of the fire (@lammasscience).

The Star of India beat nearly 50 other restaurants, takeaways and cafés in Epping Forest, Waltham Forest, and Wanstead and Woodford, to scoop overall winner in the 2015 Guardian Food Awards, last month.

Mr Ahmed said: “It has been such a crazy time, a real rollercoaster. We were so happy to win the award and we were getting excited for the Leytonstone Festival starting, and now this fire on top of that? I am just happy everyone is ok."

The restaurant is expected to be re-opened again with a reduced menu by the end of the week.