Firefighters battle blaze at top London hotel
Firefighters worked through the night after a blaze broke out at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel in Knightsbridge in London yesterday.
The fire, which happened just days after the hotel completed an £85 million refurbishment, saw 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters called to the scene.
London Fire Brigade said 36 hotel guests and 250 hotel staff were evacuated from the building when the fire broke out yesterday afternoon.
Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda were among those evacuated and described what happened on Instagram.
"I went on the balcony and looked up and there was just billows and billows of smoke," said the former Take That star.
A bell boy knocked on the door and told the couple to ‘get out’ so they ran down an external fire escape.
London Ambulance Service reported no injuries.
"The fire is believed to have spread across a vertical facade for plants and vegetation and into several floors of the hotel but was quickly extinguished," said the London Fire Brigade.
The fire was brought under control at around 10pm but some fire crew stayed at the scene through the night.
A large plume of smoke and could be seen for miles around.
Station Manager Pam Oparaocha said: "The smoke from this large fire was very visible across central London this afternoon and we received a number of emergency calls.
"Firefighters worked extremely hard in exceptionally hot conditions to bring the fire under control. Crews wearing breathing apparatus carried out search and rescue operations throughout the inside of the building."
She said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
A statement from Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group thanked everyone who has conveyed their concern about ‘this sad incident’.
It said hotel guests are being acccommnodated at other hotels nearby.
"It is too early at the present stage to assess the full extent of the damage. A full investigation is underway and will take time to complete," it said.
Earlier this month the hotel completed the biggest refurbishment in its 115-year history.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent