Latest news with #Londonfirebrigade
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Wildfire warnings issued as UK temperatures set to reach 24C on Friday
Hot weather is expected to bring highs of 24C to the UK as fire services continue to warn of wildfires across the country. The Met Office said temperatures would peak on Friday in London and south-east England, which could make it the hottest day of the year so far, while temperatures could hit 23C on Thursday. Dan Stroud, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: 'The average for this time of year is around 13C, so it's going to be about 10C above average on Friday.' The meteorologist said the high pressure in the country at the moment effectively acted like a force field, keeping fronts and clouds largely at bay to allow for settled, dry conditions. Historically low rainfall saw England have its sixth driest March and Wales its fourth driest since records began in 1836, according to the Met Office. The hottest day of the year so far was on 4 April with a high of 23.7C in Otterbourne, Hampshire. The hot weather comes as firefighters continue to battle major blazes in Northern Ireland and the Scottish fire and rescue service issued 'extreme' wildfire warnings for Thursday in south-west, eastern, central and northern Scotland. London fire brigade (LFB) has also urged caution and warned against using barbecues. The LFB assistant commissioner, Thomas Goodall, said the wildfire risk in the capital was 'heightened' due to low rainfall. LFB saw a 48% increase in call-outs last weekend compared with the same weekend last year. This year has seen at least 286 wildfires hit the UK so far, more than 100 above the number recorded in the same period in 2022, a year that saw record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented wildfire activity. This comes after the National Fire Chiefs Council warned on Saturday it needed 'long-term and sustained investment' to cope with climate change and 'increased demand' on its services. Goodall said: 'A minority of the fires we've attended recently are believed to have been started deliberately. What might seem like harmless fun has the ability to turn into something much more serious, particularly given current weather conditions.' The LFB assistant commissioner urged parents to ensure their children understood fire risks to help protect open spaces over the Easter holidays, and asked Londoners to take steps to ensure they were not inadvertently starting a fire. He said: 'We know that people will undoubtedly want to be out enjoying the warm sunshine, particularly as we head into the weekend. But we're asking Londoners to behave responsibly to help reduce the risk of fires starting in the first place.'
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Chiltern Firehouse luxury hotel blaze caused by falling wood from pizza oven
A blaze that tore through a luxury London hotel popular with celebrities was caused by wood falling from a pizza oven. The Chiltern Firehouse, which had been due to host a star-studded post-Bafta film awards party on Sunday evening, was partially destroyed by the fireon Valentine's Day. The fire spread through the four-storey hotel in central London via ducting, damaging parts of the ground floor and half of the second floor and destroying the third floor and roof, London fire brigade (LFB) said. The fire service said the fire started accidentally 'by burning wood falling from a pizza oven and igniting the void between the basement and ground floor'. The hotel in Marylebone was a fire station in the 1880s. It has been repurposed as a five-star hotel and is a regular celebrity haunt. LFB's assistant commissioner, Paul McCourt, said: 'Crews worked incredibly hard for over eight hours in arduous conditions. Presented with a complex fire in a historically significant building, formerly Manchester Square fire station, firefighters successfully contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring properties.' About 100 people were evacuated and there were no injuries as a result of the blaze, which was tackled by about 125 firefighters using 20 fire engines.
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
London's Chiltern Firehouse evacuated after blaze breaks out
A fire at the popular celebrity venue Chiltern Firehouse in London forced about 100 people to evacuate on Friday lunchtime. The London fire brigade (LFB) said 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines attended the blaze at the restaurant and luxury hotel on Chiltern Street in Marylebone after a 999 call was made at 2.52pm. An LFB spokesperson said they were fighting fire in 'ducting which leads from the ground floor to the roof of the four storey hotel. A plant room at roof level is also alight. The cause of the fire is not yet known.' The restaurant is on the ground floor of the building, one of London's first purpose-built fire stations, and an eyewitness said they had been told the fire had 'started in the kitchen' and then 'went upstairs'. 'The restaurant was emptied and there are lots of very glamorous people milling around outside, shivering,' the witness added. 'They were very smartly dressed and I don't think they expected to be waiting in the cold … You can smell the smoke outside but I did not see any flames.' Crews of firefighters from across London were deployed to the scene, including from Euston, Kensington and Chelsea, Paddington, Soho and West Hampstead fire stations. By 5.30pm, around two hours after the fire started, thick black smoke was billowing from the roof and firefighters began using an aerial platform to pump water on to the area. Shortly after it opened in 2014, the restaurant was reported to be 'single-handedly feeding the celebrity sections of the tabloids', a place where paparazzi 'loll and glower, ready to pounce on the luminaries who swarm [there] like candle-crazed moths'. It was given 5/10 for value for money and 7/10 for food by restaurant reviewer Marina O'Loughlin, and described as a place that 'seems to be almost permanently accessorised by Kate Moss'. Bill Clinton, Bono, David Cameron, Keira Knightley and Lindsay Lohan have been photographed at the venue in the past. Madonna and Naomi Campbell are also among its celebrated clientele. The venue, which was opened by the American hotelier André Balazs, was contacted for comment.
