Famous Marylebone hotel will remain closed after fire ripped through building

A famous west London hotel and restaurant will be closed until further notice after a huge blaze ripped through the building on Valentine’s Day afternoon.

More than 100 people were evacuated from The Chiltern Firehouse in Chiltern Street, Marylebone, after burning wood fell from a pizza oven igniting the space between the basement and ground floor of the building.

Twenty fire engines and about 125 firefighters tackled the blaze as it spread upwards throughout four storeys to reach the roof of the hotel via the ducting.

It raged for six hours before the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was “completely under control”, adding that the Grade II listed building will probably need a “large refurbishment”.

The roof and third floor were destroyed by the fire, according to the LFB, whilst about half of the second floor and a small part of the ground floor were damaged by the flames. 

There were no reports of any injuries.

Assistant Commissioner Paul McCourt, the Incident Commander at the scene, said: “Crews worked incredibly hard for more than eight hours in arduous conditions. 

“Presented with a complex fire in a historically significant building firefighters successfully contained the fire to one property, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring properties.”

Two 32-metre turntable ladders from Paddington and Soho Fire Stations were used as water towers to help fight the fire from above. 

Firefighters remained at the scene overnight and into Saturday to damp down hotspots.

AC McCourt said: “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.”

In total, more than 63 fire engines attended this incident, alongside 23 special appliances and 25 officers.

Crews from Euston, Soho, Paddington, West Hampstead, Kensington, Chelsea, and surrounding fire stations brought the fire under control by around 8pm.

Formerly Manchester Square Fire Station, a historic Victorian London fire station, Chiltern Firehouse re-opened as a 26-suite hotel and restaurant in 2013.

The venue  quickly became a celebrity hotspot, attracting the likes of Kate Moss and Paul McCartney.

Firefighters at the scene in Chiltern Street, Marylebone, on Friday (Picture: LFB)

The hotel is owned by Andre Balazs, who explained that the hotel would be closed until further notice.

In a statement he said: “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.”

Pictured top: Firefighters tackle the fire at The Chiltern Firehouse on Friday (Picture: LFB)