The famous Chiltern Firehouse, a luxury hotel and celebrity favorite in Marylebone, was evacuated on Friday after a fire broke out, triggering a large emergency response from the London Fire Brigade (LFB).
Over 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were sent to the scene after receiving a distress call at 2:52 PM. The fire began in the building’s ducting system on the ground floor and rapidly spread to the second and third floors, eventually reaching the roof.
Firefighters worked for six hours to bring the blaze under control.
After six hours of battling the flames, a firefighter on-site confirmed the fire was “completely under control” but noted that the four-storey hotel would likely require a “large refurbishment.”
André Balazs, the owner of Chiltern Firehouse, confirmed that no one was injured in the fire and that the blaze was “fully contained” by 9:30 PM. He added, “Our guests and staff safely evacuated.”
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) stated that the cause of the fire is still unknown. They praised the crews for working in challenging conditions within the complex, historic building, and successfully containing the fire to one property, preventing it from spreading to neighboring buildings.
Firefighters remained on site overnight to monitor and damp down any hotspots.
The restaurant is located on the ground floor, and an eyewitness reported being told that the fire had “started in the kitchen” before spreading upstairs.
The witness described how the restaurant was evacuated, with “lots of very glamorous people milling around outside, shivering.” The witness added that while they could smell smoke outside, they didn’t see any flames.
Another eyewitness, Guy Fischman, 23, from Richmond, London, who works nearby, described seeing “the whole street full of smoke.”
He noted that the smoke was extremely thick and even spread to nearby streets, making visibility poor. By 5 PM, the road was closed due to the large number of fire engines on site.
Fischman expressed surprise at how quickly the fire spread, saying, “It definitely got bigger than expected.
I didn’t expect it to get so big seeing as the fire brigade got there quite early.” He added that the smoke was visible from a distance, describing the scene as “crazy.”
Fischman also mentioned that he was “in complete shock” from witnessing the thick smoke and flames, adding, “My coat stinks of smoke right now … I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that in the UK or in London.”
Firefighters from various London stations, including Euston, Kensington and Chelsea, Paddington, Soho, and West Hampstead, were dispatched to the scene.
By 5:30 PM, around two hours after the fire broke out, thick black smoke was pouring from the roof of the Chiltern Firehouse, and firefighters began using an aerial platform to pump water onto the flames.
Social media videos showed fire officers using a crane to douse the flames at the top of the building, while smoke continued to billow from the roof.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) indicated that a cordon would likely remain in place overnight, restricting access to the streets around the five-star hotel.
Since its opening in 2014, the restaurant has been a hotspot for celebrities and has been dubbed a place where paparazzi eagerly await, ready to capture the stars who flock there like “candle-crazed moths.”
The Chiltern Firehouse received a 5/10 for value for money and a 7/10 for food from restaurant critic Marina O’Loughlin, who also noted that the venue seemed to be “almost permanently accessorised by Kate Moss.”
The restaurant has hosted numerous high-profile figures, including Bill Clinton, Bono, David Cameron, Keira Knightley, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, and Naomi Campbell.
Owner André Balazs expressed deep gratitude to the firefighters who responded to the blaze, saying, “It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 120 firefighters from more than 14 stations rapidly descend on what they told me was a hugely sentimental building for so many of them.”
Balazs also shared that one of the firefighters had been stationed in the building when it was a fire station 30 years ago.
He thanked the firefighters for their efforts, acknowledging that this was likely not the Valentine’s Day evening they had anticipated.