Devastated Chiltern Firehouse ‘could take years to reopen’ after pizza oven blaze

A luxury London hotel which was devastated by a fire could have to wait years before reopening, an architect has said.

Chiltern Firehouse was set to host a star-studded Bafta party when a fire broke out from a pizza oven on Valentine’s Day and ripped through the third floor and roof.

More than 100 people were evacuated from the blaze as it spread via the ducting.

Now an architect familiar with the hotel has said it could be years before their famous doors reopen.

Harriet Pillman, whose firm Donald Insall Associates helped convert the building into a hotel, estimated to the BBC that the initial restoration work might last a year.

She warned it would take another two years before the celebrity-favourite is ready to reopen.

Pillman said: ‘Projects like this are complex for lots of reasons, the main one being that the initial stages are very different to a normal architectural project.

Builders would first have to stabilise the hotel’s structure and remove all the fire-damaged material before works could begin.

The front facade of Chiltern Firehouse suffered heavy smoke damage and the London Fire Brigade confirmed the roof and third floor were destroyed in the fire.

Around 140 firefights using 20 fire stations drenched the property in water in order to contain the blaze.

Builders also need to wait for the structure to completely dry out before restoration can begin.

A representative of the hotel told the BBC he did not know how long it would take to restore the hotel to its former glory.

Located on Chiltern Street, the firehouse takes the place of a historic Victorian fire station first built in 1889.

American hotel magnate Andre Balazs, whose property portfolio also includes Hollywood hotel Chateau Marmon, said the cause is under investigation and the Chiltern Firehouse would be closed until further notice

In an earlier statement, he said: ‘It is with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation that we watched a remarkable 140 firefighters from over 20 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.’

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