Mayfair fire: Blaze in £13m Grafton Street house under control

Saturday, February 4, 2012
8:42 PM

More than 100 firefighters spent the day tackling a house fire in Mayfair, central London.

London Fire Brigade was called shortly before 5.30am to the five-storey terraced house in Grafton Street.

Twenty fire engines were sent to the scene.

The roof of the house was destroyed by the fire.

Around half of the fourth floor and part of the third floor was damaged by the blaze.

The fire did not spread to neighbouring buildings.

There are no reports of injuries.

Surrounding roads, including Grafton Street, Albermarle Street, Dover Street and the top end of Bond Street, were temporarily closed due to the smoke from the fire.

Some local businesses were also temporarily shut.

London fire commissioner Ron Dobson said: “This has been an incredibly busy week for the London Fire Brigade. We had a large fire on Wood Lane in Shepherd’s Bush on Tuesday, followed by a collapsed building later that night in Ilford.

“Today, firefighters were called to a fire in a fast-food restaurant in Leicester Square and then just 20 minutes later our control officers received reports of a fire in a terraced house on Grafton Street in Mayfair.

“Over 100 firefighters from fire stations across London worked tirelessly to bring the serious fire in Mayfair under control.”

Station manager Julian Spooner, who was at the scene of the blaze, said: “It was a challenging incident and as the roof was badly affected by the flames, firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had to tackle the fire from inside the building.

“Our fire crews worked incredibly hard today, despite the freezing temperatures, to prevent this fire from spreading to adjoining properties.”

The fire was under control by 3.55pm.

Grafton Street is a mix of hugely expensive homes and commercial properties.

It is thought the homeowner was not at home when the fire began but his personal staff were.

The owner arrived this morning to describe to firefighters the building’s layout before moving, with his employees, to a hotel.

The Grade 1 listed building was sold in March 2007 for £13 million.

It is owned by Taradale Offshore Limited, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, but based in St Helier, Jersey.