A fire has broken out at a luxury London hotel, leading to around one hundred people being evacuated.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said on Friday evening that 20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters have been called to a blaze on Chiltern Street in Marylebone at The Chiltern Firehouse.
It added that officers were first called at 2.52pm and are still at the scene, with the cause of the fire unknown.
An LFB statement said: “20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters have been called to a fire at a hotel on Chiltern Street in Marylebone."
The fire broke out at the luxury hotel
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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 spokesman continued: "There is a fire in ducting which leads from the ground floor to the roof of the four storey hotel with a restaurant on the ground floor. A plant room at roof level is also alight. Around 100 people have evacuated the building before the brigade arrived.
"The brigade’s 999 control officers were first called at 2.52pm and deployed fire crews from Euston, Soho, Paddington, Soho, West Hampstead, Kensington, Chelsea and surrounding fire stations and are still at the scene. The cause of the fire is not known at this stage."
The hotel known in London as a celebrity hotspot and has hosted A-listers including Paul Mescal, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp.
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A view of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) outside the Chiltern Firehouse luxury hotel in central London
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The Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone, London
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A view of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) outside the Chiltern Firehouse luxury hotel in central London
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A shop worker in Chiltern Street told the Metro: "The roof is fully on fire. It is really f*****. It is not under control any more and everyone is evacuating."
An employee at the Monocle Shop on Chiltern Street added: "It is actually getting worse. There are a lot of fire trucks there is smoke coming out of the building. The roof is getting really bad now. There was a lot of smoke out of the roof. They are putting water on it."
"How Matcha at the end of the street was giving out free hot drinks to the dozens of guests who were evacuated. The owner told Metro there was "not as much smoke as now, and then it went up in flames."
He added: "It’s quite a sad moment not only for the building but for the community as well."
View of the fire in central London
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Owned by hotelier André Balazs, who also owns the famous Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, the Chiltern Firehouse is an exclusive social hub.
It opened in 2013 and has 26 suites, and was once dubbed "London’s hottest celebrity hangout."
