Hundred firefighters battle Mayfair blaze

ONE hundred firefighters tackled a blaze in one of London’s most exclusive streets yesterday.

Twenty fire engines were called to Grafton Street in Mayfair at 5.30am after the fire broke out in the five-storey building.

Parts of the third and fourth floors then caught alight, said a fire brigade spokeswoman.

There were no reports of injuries.

Station manager Mick Sayer, from London Fire Brigade, said: “Firefighters are tackling a large blaze in a terraced house on Grafton Street in central London.

“They are working really hard to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible so that normality can be restored to the area.”

Surrounding roads, including Grafton Street, Albermarle Street, Dover Street and the top end of Bond Street were closed.

Grafton Street is a mix of very expensive homes and commercial properties.

It is thought the homeowner was not at home when the fire began, but his staff were. The owner arrived yesterday morning to describe the building’s layout to firefighters before moving, with his employees, to a hotel. The street was cordoned off while the fire brigade used an aerial ladder to pump water into the building.

Sayer added that the three or four people inside when the fire started had fled the building when firefighters arrived.