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Paris Ritz: Fire under control at world-famous hotel | Paris Ritz: Fire under control at world-famous hotel |
(35 minutes later) | |
A fire on the top floor of the five-star Ritz hotel in Paris has been brought under control. | A fire on the top floor of the five-star Ritz hotel in Paris has been brought under control. |
About 150 workers had to leave the building on Tuesday morning as the fire took hold. No injuries are reported. | About 150 workers had to leave the building on Tuesday morning as the fire took hold. No injuries are reported. |
The hotel - which is famously where Princess Diana spent her last evening - is currently closed for renovations and there are no guests staying there. | The hotel - which is famously where Princess Diana spent her last evening - is currently closed for renovations and there are no guests staying there. |
The operation will take "a long time" as the fire is difficult to access, a fire service spokesman said. | |
The alert was raised at 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT) and about 60 firefighters and 15 fire engines were sent to the scene. | |
The blaze started on the seventh floor, took hold in the attic and spread to the roof. | The blaze started on the seventh floor, took hold in the attic and spread to the roof. |
Paris police tweeted that there was a "major fire", and advised motorists to avoid the Place Vendome area. | Paris police tweeted that there was a "major fire", and advised motorists to avoid the Place Vendome area. |
The area was blocked off at the height of the morning rush hour, while firefighters on cranes sprayed the flames. | The area was blocked off at the height of the morning rush hour, while firefighters on cranes sprayed the flames. |
Fire captain Yvon Bot said the fire was unusually difficult to access and control. | Fire captain Yvon Bot said the fire was unusually difficult to access and control. |
"There is no longer any risk of it spreading, but the operation will still take a very long time," he said. | "There is no longer any risk of it spreading, but the operation will still take a very long time," he said. |
"We are having to go metre by metre from the roof. It is too small to access from the interior." | |
He said a "large" section of the building was affected. | |
The hotel is a historic building in central Paris. | The hotel is a historic building in central Paris. |
Princess Diana dined there on 30 August 1997. Later that night she and her companion Dodi al-Fayed were killed in a car crash. He was the son of the hotel's owner, Egyptian billionaire and Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed. | |
It was also the hotel of choice for Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway. | It was also the hotel of choice for Charlie Chaplin, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway. |
The Ritz was due to re-open in March after a three-year closure for multi-million euro renovations. | |
The Ritz name, used for hotels around the world, comes from a Swiss hotelier called Cesar Ritz, who set up the Paris Ritz and the London Ritz more than a century ago. | The Ritz name, used for hotels around the world, comes from a Swiss hotelier called Cesar Ritz, who set up the Paris Ritz and the London Ritz more than a century ago. |
Both hotels are now independently owned. The Barclay brothers - newspaper owners Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay - bought the London Ritz in 1995. | Both hotels are now independently owned. The Barclay brothers - newspaper owners Sir Frederick and Sir David Barclay - bought the London Ritz in 1995. |
Are you in the area of the Ritz Hotel, Paris? What have you seen? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and experiences. | Are you in the area of the Ritz Hotel, Paris? What have you seen? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories and experiences. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |