Fire breaks out at Chiltern Firehouse two days before Netflix BAFTA party

Published

3 months ago

February 15, 2025

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Around 100 people have been evacuated after a fire broke out at a luxury London hotel.

Twenty fire engines and around 125 firefighters were on the scene at the Chiltern Firehouse, near Baker Street.

London Fire Brigade said it was called out at 2.52pm on Friday – with the cause so far unknown.

The blaze at the hotel was under control on Friday night but was still ongoing at a building next door.

The £760-a-night venue was due to host Netflix’s BAFTA Awards party on Sunday.

The Firehouse’s bar and restaurant are popular with British stars, as well as celebrities visiting the capital.

Taylor Swift chose it for a night out after finishing her Wembley shows last year, while the likes of Tom Cruise and Kate Moss have also been spotted over the years.

However, it’s now likely to remain shut for some time and need extensive repairs.

Speaking on Friday evening, one firefighter said: “It’s completely under control in there now, but the hotel is probably going to need a large refurbishment.”

An earlier brigade statement said the fire was in “ducting which leads from the ground floor to the roof” and that a “plant room at roof level is also alight”.

A cordon preventing access from nearby streets was in place around the hotel, located in the upmarket Marylebone area of central London.

Owner Andre Balazs, who also has Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont in his portfolio, confirmed no one had been hurt and thanked firefighters.

“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,” he said in a statement.

“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.”

He said the cause was under investigation and the venue would be closed until further notice.

Manhunt after five people stabbed at event in southeast London

Published

6 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Manhunt after five people stabbed at event in southeast London

A manhunt has been launched after five people were stabbed at an event in southeast London, police have said.

Officers were called to Nathan Way, Thamesmead, at 4.19am on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said.

Five people were found with stab wounds and were taken to hospital where their injuries are still being assessed.

No arrests have been made.

“Enquiries are ongoing and a cordon will remain in place throughout the day,” a Met Police statement said.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Three Iranians charged under National Security Act after investigation by UK counter-terror police

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Three Iranians charged under National Security Act after investigation by UK counter-terror police

Three Iranian men have been charged with offences under the National Security Act in the UK, police have said.

The trio have been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025, following an investigation by counter-terror police.

The Metropolitan Police said the three men are Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55.

The foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran, police said.

All three men will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday, the force added.

Sepahvand, of St John’s Wood, London, has also been charged with “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research” with the intention of “committing serious violence against a person in the UK”, according to a police statement.

Meanwhile, Manesh, of Kensal Rise, London, and Noori, of Ealing, London, have also been charged with “engaging in conduct, namely surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK, would be committed by others”.

Commander Dominic Murphy, from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, described the charges as “extremely serious”.

“Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock and we have worked closely with colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service to reach this point,” he said.

“Now that these men have been charged, I would urge people not to speculate about this case, so that the criminal justice process can run its course.”

A fourth Iranian national aged 31 who was arrested was released with no further action on Thursday.

In a separate unrelated probe, counter-terror officers arrested five Iranian men, aged between 29 and 46, during raids across various locations in Greater Manchester, London, and Swindon earlier this month.

Last October, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said the UK intelligence agency had responded to 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots since 2022, warning of the risk of an “increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK”.

UK

Two firefighters and one other person die after fire at former RAF base in Oxfordshire

Published

1 day ago

May 16, 2025

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Two firefighters and one other person die after fire at former RAF base in Oxfordshire

Two firefighters and a member of the public have died in a large fire in Bicester, the fire service announced.

The firefighters died in the inferno at a former RAF base in Oxfordshire, which now hosts historic motoring and aviation centre Bicester Motion.

The local fire service was called to the scene at 6.39pm last night.

Chief Fire Officer Rob MacDougall said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we today report the loss of two of our firefighters. Families have been informed and are being supported.

“Our thoughts are with them at this most difficult of times and we ask for privacy to be respected.

“We cannot release any details at present but will provide further information as soon as we can.”

Two other firefighters sustained serious injuries and are currently being treated in hospital, Oxfordshire County Council said in a statement.

Footage shared on social media shows plumes of smoke billowing into the sky and flames swallowing the large building.

Ten fire crews attended the incident, with four remaining at the scene. The fire is still ongoing, but it is considered under control.

Local residents were advised to remain indoors and keep their windows shut, but this advice has now been lifted.

Bicester Motion said in a statement it would be closed today and over the weekend.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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