LONDON: A fire broke out at a luxury London hotel and restaurant known as a celebrity hotspot, engulfing the historic building and forcing about 100 people to be evacuated, fire services said.
More than 100 firefighters and 20 fire engines spent hours fighting the blaze that ripped through Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone on Friday, the London Fire Brigade said.
The red brick building, a former fire station dating to the late 19th century, is known as a favorite with celebrities, with numerous stars including Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Tom Cruise among the hotel and restaurant’s customers.
The hotel was reportedly due to host the Netflix party after the BAFTA awards ceremony on Sunday.
No injuries were reported and the fire was contained late Friday.
The fire brigade said the blaze began mid-afternoon in ducting in the ground floor of the building before spreading all the way up to the roof of the four-story hotel. The cause of the fire was not known.
“Crews worked hard over a number of hours in challenging circumstances in a complex historic building and successfully contained the fire,” it said.
The hotel’s owner, Andre Balazs, said the venue would remain closed until further notice.
Large fire tears through luxury London hotel known as a celebrity hotspot
https://arab.news/9buq9
Large fire tears through luxury London hotel known as a celebrity hotspot
Trump talks trade with Canada, Mexico leaders at World Cup draw
- Friday’s talks were the first between Trump and Sheinbaum
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump met Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, with the talks partly focused on the future of a North American free trade deal.
The leaders met in Washington on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“The three leaders met for approximately 45 minutes,” Carney spokesperson Audrey Champoux said in an email.
“They’ve agreed to keep working together on CUSMA,” she added, using the Canadian acronym for the existing free trade deal between the three countries, which Americans call the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement .
The USMCA deal was struck during Trump’s first term.
Trump has slapped steep tariffs on exports from Canada and Mexico that do not fall under the USMCA, which Washington is seeking to renegotiate next year.
Friday’s talks were the first between Trump and Sheinbaum.
Carney has visited the White House twice since Trump’s return to power, but it will be his first encounter with Trump — except for a brief meeting at a summit in South Korea — since the US leader suspended trade talks in a bizarre row over an anti-tariff ad.
Trump has also threatened further punishment if they fail to curb cross-border migration and drug trafficking — and irked Sheinbaum by saying he would be “OK” with air strikes on Mexico to tackle traffickers.
She has vowed the strikes will never happen.
Canada also was outraged by Trump’s calls earlier this year for it to become the 51st US state.
Carney drew criticism at recent G20 meetings in South Africa when, asked by a reporter when he last spoke to Trump, answered, “Who cares?“
The three countries launched their joint World Cup bid in 2017 during Trump’s first term in the White House.
Trump said Friday that the United States had worked closely with Mexico and Canada over the tournament, adding “the coordination and friendship and relationship has been outstanding.”
