Celebrity favourite Chiltern Firehouse facing ‘large refurbishment’ after fire
The London Fire Brigade said on Friday that 20 fire engines and about 125 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze.
A luxury hotel favoured by celebrities will likely need a “large refurbishment” after a fire broke out on Valentine’s Day.
The blaze ripped through ducting at Chiltern Firehouse, forcing about 100 people to be evacuated from the five-star London hotel and restaurant.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that 20 fire engines and about 125 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze on Chiltern Street in Marylebone on Friday.
They said crews were first called at 2.52pm and are still at the scene, while the cause of the fire is unknown.
Videos on social media show flames which are engulfing the top of the building being doused by fire officers from a crane, while smoke billows out of the roof.
The hotel will likely need a “large refurbishment”, a firefighter at the scene said.
The unnamed firefighter told the PA news agency: “It’s (the fire) completely under control in there now, but the hotel is probably going to need a large refurbishment.
“I don’t think anyone was injured because of the evacuation earlier.”
The hotel’s owner Andre Balazs said the venue, which an employee at the scene confirmed had been due to host a Bafta party on Sunday, would remain closed until further notice.
He said: “Earlier this evening, a fire broke out at Chiltern Firehouse. We are grateful to confirm that no-one was hurt, and our guests and staff safely evacuated. The fire has now been fully contained.
“It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 120 firefighters from over 14 stations rapidly descend on what they told me was a hugely sentimental building for so many of them.
“We know in fact one of those who rushed to the Chiltern Firehouse this evening had been stationed in the building when it was a fire station 30 years ago. I am truly grateful to all of them as I am sure that this is not the Valentine’s Day evening they had in mind.
“As of now, as this is still a live situation we do not have confirmation of what may have caused the fire, but the fire services are investigating.
“In the meantime, the Chiltern Firehouse will remain closed until further notice.”
One witness described the scene as “crazy”.
Guy Fischman, 23, from Richmond, south-west London, was leaving his workplace near Bond Street when he said he saw “the whole street full of smoke”.
He added he saw emergency service vehicles near the hotel at around 2pm on Friday, but did not see any smoke.
Then, at around 5pm, when he left his workplace, he said the road was closed off because “there were loads more fire engines” with large hoses and a crane.
“My coat stinks of smoke right now,” Mr Fischman told the PA news agency.
“There was really thick smoke and it got into the other street as well. I walked out and the visibility was awful.”
“I did not expect it to be so bad especially seeing the embers coming from the window at the top because it was so dark you can just see the orange glow and they (the firefighters) were really trying to fight it with the water jets.”
“(The fire) definitely got bigger than expected. I didn’t expect it to get so big seeing as the fire brigade got there quite early,” he said.
“The whole street was shut off and you could see the smoke from quite far away… it was crazy.”
He said he was “in complete shock” seeing the thick smoke and glowing embers of the flames and added: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that in the UK or in London.”
In a statement, the LFB said: “Crews worked hard over a number of hours in challenging circumstances in a complex historic building and successfully contained the fire to one property, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring properties.
“Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the night damping down hotspots.
“The fire started in ducting and spread from the ground floor to the roof of the four-storey hotel with a restaurant on the ground floor. The blaze spread to the second and third floors of the building.”
The Grade II-listed Chiltern Firehouse is frequented by celebrities and was the venue for Kylie Minogue’s 50th birthday party in 2018.
Mr Balazs’s property portfolio also includes Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmont, another celebrity haunt.
In its listing on the Historic England register, the buidling is described as a “fire station dated 1889, early design by the L.C.C. Architect’s Department, in the Vulliamy manner”, made of red brick with stone dressings and a tiled roof.
