Fire caused extensive damage to roof of Melia's new five-star London hotel
Meliá Hotels International has confirmed that there were no injuries in the fire which caused extensive damage to the roof of its future five-star hotel in the centre of London yesterday.
At the height of the blaze at Marconi House on the Strand, which at one time was occupied by the BBC, 100 fire fighters and 20 fire engines were at the scene.
A spokesman for the Spanish hotel company said: "Meliá Hotels International is grateful to the London Fire Brigade for their diligence and responsibility in extinguishing the fire, preventing it spreading to the rest of the building and, above all, avoiding injuries."
The building is currently in the process of being refurbished by Foster & Partners to create Melia's second London hotel under the avant-garde luxury brand, ME, and is due to open in 2012.
It is not known how long a delay will be caused by the fire, which damaged three-quarters of the roof. The £160m hotel, which will be named ME London, will have 173 bedrooms, two restaurants and a convention centre. Melia's existing London hotel is the four-star, 581-bedroom Melia White House.
The London Fire Brigade was called to the fire at 11am and brought the blaze under control by 6.30pm. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
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By Janet Harmer
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