Ritz guests escape fire

Guests were evacuated from the Ritz in their pyjamas and dressing gowns this morning after fire broke out in the hotel's basement.

Six fire engines were sent to the hotel in Piccadilly, where rooms cost from £295 a night, after the alarm was raised at around midnight.

All 230 guests and members of staff had to leave as a precaution while firefighters tackled the blaze in an electrical intake room.

Smoke poured from the basement, leading firefighters to suspect the blaze was worse than it was.

One guest said: "It was quite dramatic, although we never really felt in danger. It is not quite what you expect when you stay at the Ritz, but I suppose it has enlivened my stay."

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: "It was electrical equipment, and we are investigating the cause. What caused the problems was the smoke travelled through parts of the building. All the guests were evacuated as part of the process."

No one was injured and the fire was extinguished by 2am. Nobody at the Ritz was available for comment. The hotel opened in 1906, aiming to offer guests the personal feel of a French country house accompanied by glamour, excitement and graceful living.

It was returned to private ownership in 1995, and was refurbished to its original Louis XVI style.

In January 1999 it was the scene of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles's "coming out" when the couple appeared side by side in public for the first time at Mrs Parker Bowles's sister Annabel's 50th birthday party.

It recently received His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales' Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services, when Architectural Digest magazine wrote: "New ritzy, tradition ritzy either way, The Ritz offers its masterpiece of design, polished and burnished and ready for another generation to discover the magic of good, old-fashioned glamour."