Gordon Thompson, the arsonist behind the fire at the Reeves store in Croydon during the London riots, has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison.
The blaze at 140 year old House of Reeves in Croydon, south London, last August was so fierce it spread to buildings on the other side of the road and tram lines in the street caught fire.
Gordon Thompson, 34, admitted arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, on February 24 - a few days into his trial.
He was given 11 and a half years for the arson, two years each for two counts of burglary, and three years for a third count of burglary, to run concurrently.
In a statement outside court the shop's owner Trevor Reeves said its destruction was like "a bereavement."
"The total destruction of the site has been a bereavement to me, I just can't understand what I have done to make someone do this to me."
Judge Peter Thornton told Thompson: "This day was a bad day for Croydon and the people of Croydon.
"Perhaps the most shocking event was that the House of Reeves was set alight and burned to the ground, putting lives at risk."
He said the shop "had stood on the site for over 140 years, proudly giving its name to its location, Reeves Corner. You were about to bring all that to an end".
"This was a deliberate, wilful act of shocking, dangerous vandalism."
Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow told jurors: "Such was the ferocity of the blaze that embers and heat from the flames set fire to property on the other side of the road and numerous residents were forced to flee their homes for their lives.
"Indeed one young woman became trapped inside her flat and was forced to jump from a first-floor window into the arms of rescuers waiting below."
A photographer captured a dramatic image of Monika Konczyk as she hurled herself from the building to escape the fire.
Thompson, of Waddon Road, Croydon, "ran riot through the streets" wearing a bright red hooded top that day, and was captured on CCTV and filmed on mobile phones attacking the shop.
After Thompson pleaded guilty to arson, Maurice Reeves, from the family that owned the shop, said the blaze was so traumatic that parts of him had "died".
He went on: "The building's been there all my life. I worked in there every day and when I go into work now the building's not there.
"It's with tears in my eyes when I think about it."
The House of Reeves furniture shop was razed to the ground.