London hotel fire 'forces Minnelli, Lennox to flee'

A blaze at London's exclusive Park Lane Hilton led to the evacuation of 1,500 people, reportedly including celebrities such as Liza Minnelli and Annie Lennox. The fire broke out in the early evening, a few hours after the hotel staged the Silver Clef Awards in which Sir Paul McCartney was honoured as the year's best live act. Sky News said stars who had attended the event, such as Lennox, Minnelli, Status Quo and Tinie Tempah were among the evacuees. Around 40 firefighters battled for more than four hours to extinguish the blaze at the 28-floor building overlooking Hyde Park. A London Fire Brigade (LFB) spokesman said eight fire engines were used to pump water on the flames and an aerial platform was used as a "cherry picker" to survey the fire. "Around 1,500 people were evacuated from the hotel and all were accounted for," the LFB said. "The fire is thought to have started in a kitchen in the basement of the hotel. Ducting between the basement and the fourth floor was damaged," it said in a statement Television pictures showed roads in the busy area of the city were closed off to traffic. The Metropolitan Police said nobody was injured in the blaze, which is being probed by fire investigators. Small groups of guests were allowed back into the hotel at 3am this morning in what the brigade described as a "phased reoccupation". The Silver Clef awards are a charity event organised annually to support the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy centre.