UPDATE: London’s Chiltern Firehouse, which was due to host Netflix‘s well-attended BAFTA Film Awards party on Sunday night, has closed its doors until further notice after a blaze on Friday. The building was evacuated and no one was harmed.
Andre Balazs, owner of Chiltern Firehouse, said in a statement: “Earlier this evening, a fire broke out at Chiltern Firehouse. We are grateful to confirm that no one was hurt, and our guests and staff safely evacuated. The fire has now been fully contained.
“It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 120 fire fighters from over 14 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.
“As of now, as this is still a live situation we do not have confirmation of what may have caused the fire, but the fire services are investigating. In the meantime, the Chiltern Firehouse will remain closed until further notice.”
PREVIOUS: London’s Chiltern Firehouse has been evacuated amid a blaze on Friday afternoon. The hotel was due to host Netflix’s well-attended BAFTA Film Awards party on Sunday night.
The London Fire Brigade said around 60 firefighters attended the Marylebone property at nearly 3pm local time. The cause of the blaze is not known at this stage.
“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,” the London Fire Brigade said. “Around one hundred people have evacuated the building before the Brigade arrived.”
David Brown, a journalist for The Times of London, posted a video of smoke billowing out of the five-star hotel, which was once a fire station. The venue has been contacted for comment.
It is not clear how the incident at the London celebrity hotspot will impact on Netflix’s BAFTA plans. The streamer’s event, at which it hoped to toast a successful night for features including Emilia Pérez, was due to get underway at 10pm on Sunday.
Through the course of the evening, actors, filmmakers, and executives from rival studios have been known to leave their own parties and convene in Marylebone, where they drink and dance until the early hours of the morning.
The Chiltern Firehouse is a 1889 Grade II-listed Victorian Gothic building. It is home to a restaurant and 26 suites. Dua Lipa, Callum Turner, and Matt Smith were among the stars photographed at the venue this week, while a pre-awards dinner hosted Vanessa Kirby and Regé-Jean Paul on Thursday.