London hotel fire: Firefighters tackle huge blaze at Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge - as it happened
Building underwent 'extensive restoration' that ended just last month
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A huge fire that broke out at a luxury hotel in Knightsbridge, central London, was tackled by more than 120 firefighters.
Staff and guests of the Mandarin Oriental were evacuated and a column of thick black smoke thrown up by the blaze in its upper levels was widely visible.
London Fire Brigade said it was a “very large fire” but the London Ambulance Service later tweeted that its paramedics had "not treated any patients" and they remained on the scene as a "precaution".
For all the updates as they happened, read our live blog from the afternoon below.
The building underwent an “extensive restoration” ending late last month and costing several million pounds, its owner company Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group said in May.
The hotel is connected to the prestigious One Hyde Park development, which has the most expensive addresses in London.
Apartments there have been known to go on the market for as much as £75m and guests can use the facilities at the neighbouring hotel, including the private cinema.
They can also order room service from Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant Dinner.
As many as 120 firefighters are currently attending to the blaze at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge. You can follow our coverage of this developing story right here.
London Fire Brigade has said it is awaiting information from its teams on the ground as to whether anyone is trapped in the building or how many people had been evacuated.
The hotel is physically connected to the prestigious One Hyde Park development, the capital's most expensive address. The hotel complex has a private cinema and a Heston Blumenthal restaurant.
Emergency workers including more fire engines and ambulances, were still seen arriving at the hotel at about 4.45pm. Flames were spotted around the roof of the hotel.
London Ambulance Service could not say whether it had treated any patients or how many paramedics it had sent to the scene. More information would be released later, a spokeswoman said.
Staff from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel have been evacuated to Hyde Park where they were being given bottles of water.
One worker, who asked not to be named, said: "The fire alarm started and everybody was told to get outside. Everything's fine but we don't know how it started yet."
PA
A press release published at the end of May by the hotel's owner company said the building had just undergone "the most extensive restoration in its 115-year history".
Its 181 rooms were refurbished along with its facade, the release said.
Staff and patients were evacuated from a cosmetic clinic next door to the Mandarin Oriental.
Dr Terry Loong was ordered to leave W One along with her colleagues five minutes after the fire was first called in to LFB.
She said the fire appeared to have "calmed down a lot" within the hour.
A tradesman working at the hotel said he saw a fire on the roof before raising the alarm.
The 19-year-old lift engineer, who gave his name as Harry, said: "I was in the lift and I hit the fire alarm button.
"I was in the lift shaft and I looked to my left and saw the geezers working on the roof.
"To my left there was a big fire.
"I said [to my colleague] 'Lee, there's a fire over there, let's get out of the building. Get out the lift shaft, I'm being serious'.
"We ran down the stairs and went and got the scaffolder out of the loading bay."
He said builders on the roof had been cutting materials and doing other work during the day.
"I could see the orange flames on the roof," he added.
PA
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