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The famous Chiltern Firehouse was partially destroyed by a fire on Friday (February 14) night.
Over 100 people had to be evacuated from the building after a fire – which allegedly started in a pizza oven – tore through the Marylebone hotel and restaurant.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was put out by 140 firefighters after ‘travelling through internal vents and up to the roof’, reports the Standard. A witness added: ‘The damage is immense – the hotel will need to be gutted and totally refurbished. It's very sad.’
A historic Victorian London fire station, in 2013 Chiltern Firehouse re-opened as a 26-suite hotel and restaurant. It quickly became a celebrity hotspot, attracting the likes of Taylor Swift, Kate Moss, Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Harry Styles.
The hotel is owned by Andre Balazs, who also runs the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Balazs explained that the hotel would be closed until further notice and released the following statement:
‘It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 140 fire fighters from over 20 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.’
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