The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said the blaze, which led to 100 people being evacuated from the Marylebone five-star, began accidentally when burning wood fell from the oven and ignited the void between the basement and ground floor.
It spread via ducting and damaged parts of the ground floor, half of the second floor and destroyed the third floor and roof of the four-storey hotel.
London Brigade 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.”
Owner André Balazs has confirmed the hotel will ‘remain closed until further notice’.
Located on Chiltern Street, Chiltern Firehouse occupies the site of a Victorian fire station built in 1889.
In 2013 the Chiltern Firehouse opened as a 26-suite hotel and 200-seat restaurant that was at the time helmed by Nuno Mendes.
The restaurant is currently overseen by head chef Luke Hunns offering a ‘fresh menu of reimagined classics and bold new flavours, placing emphasis on seasonality and healthy eating’.
