A FIRE that destroyed the Chiltern Firehouse and forced 100 people to evacuate erupted from a pizza oven.
The celebrity hotspot in Marylebone, central London, was engulfed in flames on Friday evening, with more than 100 firefighters being brought in to tackle the towering inferno.
Now, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has confirmed the fire was caused by burning wood that fell from a pizza oven and then ignited the void between the basement and the ground floor.
Firefighters were seen tackling the blaze, which struck just hours before Valentine’s Day dinner service, at the luxury hotel and restaurant as darkness fell on the capital.
LFB said in a statement today: “Twenty fire engines and around 125 firefighters spent Valentine’s Day tackling a fire at a hotel on Chiltern Street in Marylebone.
“The fire is believed to have been accidental and was caused by burning wood falling from a pizza oven and igniting the void between the basement and ground floor.”
The fire and rescue service confirmed that the blaze began in the ground floor restaurant before spreading to the roof of the four-storey building.
Both the roof and third floor were destroyed by the inferno, while parts of the second and ground floors were also damaged by the fire, LFB confirmed.
The emergency service added that two 32-metre tall turntable ladders from Paddington and Soho Fire Stations were used as water towers at the scene to help fight the blaze from above.
LFB said its Drone Team was also deployed to assist with an aerial view of the fire.
Assistant Commissioner Paul McCourt, Incident Commander at the scene, said: “Crews worked incredibly hard for over eight hours in arduous conditions.
“Presented with a complex fire in a historically significant building, formerly Manchester Square Fire Station, firefighters successfully contained the fire to one property, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring properties.
“Around 100 people evacuated the building before the Brigade arrived and thankfully there have been no reports of any injuries.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our crews, Control Officers, fire safety officers and support staff who worked to resolve the incident.”
Emergency services were first called at 2.52pm on Friday, with crews from across the city racing to the rapidly worsening blaze.
Firefighters from Euston, Soho, Paddington, West Hampstead, Kensington, Chelsea, and surrounding fire stations were deployed, and the blaze was finally under control by 8.07pm.
The inferno has shocked the local community as well as many that worked at the hotel.
A worker said: “Every floor has been destroyed.
“There’s no roof left – it has basically collapsed in on itself.
“Only the ground floor is still somewhat intact.
“We’ve heard it will be at least a year before we can even think about opening again.”
At the time of the horrific fire, a shaken guest had told The Sun: “I stepped outside and saw thick black smoke pouring out of the windows.
“It was like a disaster movie.”
Andre Balazs, owner of the Chiltern Firehouse, said on Friday: “We are grateful to confirm that no one was hurt, and our guests and staff safely evacuated.
“It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 120 fire fighters from over 14 stations rapidly descend on what they told me was a hugely sentimental building for so many of them.”
He added: “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.
“In the meantime, the Chiltern Firehouse will remain closed until further notice.”
Chiltern Firehouse, both a hotel and restaurant, is incredibly popular with both A-list celebrities and royals.
The enterprise occupies a Grade II listed building that was formerly a fire station.
The luxury hotel, which has 26 suites, opened in 2013 and was once dubbed as “London’s hottest celebrity hangout”.
Balazs also owns two hotels in the US: Sunset Beach Hotel on Shelter Island, New York, and Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, California.
Celebrities and royals ranging from Lewis Capaldi to Princess Beatrice have been spotted on the premises of the luxury hotel and restaurant in recent months.
