Around 60 firefighters have been called to the iconic Ritz hotel in Paris this morning after a fire broke out on its top floors.
The property was undergoing a three year €200 million (£152m) refurbishment, and was due to reopen in just two months time.
According to the Independent, initial reports suggested that the whole top floor of the building had been destroyed. People have been evacuated from nearby buildings, but there has been no reports of casualties.
Image via Pauline Froissart.
The Place Vendome area of the city was closed off during the morning while fire crews worked to contain the blaze. The fire is believed to have started in a top floor area and spread to the roof at around 6am local time.
The hotel has been under renovation since 2012 after it failed to meet the demanding new standards to qualify for “palace” status introduced for luxury hotels by the city of Paris, but was due to reopen in March this year.
Sam Walsh
