Flats above a row of shops had to be evacuated after fire broke out at a fast-food restaurant.
Up to 20 people living in The Parade, Oadby, were told to leave their homes because of the blaze at Pizza Mondo.
Firefighters were called to the pizzeria just after 7.30pm on Sunday.
A resident, who did not want to be named, said: "The emergency services got everybody out and there were 20 of us standing outside in the street.
"I couldn't see the fire but you could see smoke coming from the back of the building.
"It was a bit cold but, fortunately, after a while we were told it was safe to go back inside."
A fire service spokesman said: "The incident was caused by a piece of charcoal, used for cooking, igniting ducting leading to an extractor fan.
"No one was hurt and the fire was contained to the kitchen.
"The extractor fan was destroyed and there was smoke damage but the incident was over and firefighters left the scene at about 9pm."
The owner of the business, who did not want to be named, said: "The incident was dealt with very quickly. There were no customers in the shop at the time."
He said the takeaway would be closed until at least Thursday.
