Netflix has been forced to move its Bafta Film Awards afterparty after the original venue was evacuated due to a fire.
Scores of firefighters took more than five hours to tackle the blaze on Friday at the Chiltern Firehouse, a five-star hotel in Marylebone in central London.
The streaming giant will now hold its event on Sunday night at The Twenty Two, a luxury hotel in London’s Mayfair.
An investigation has been launched over the fire, which led to the evacuation of 100 guests. London Fire Brigade (LFB) said no injuries were reported, but the venue will remain closed until further notice.
The Bafta Film Awards are being held at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday.
Pope selection drama Conclave leads the Bafta field with 12 nominations, followed by Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist and Anora.
After the ceremony, which will be hosted by David Tennant, actors, producers, directors and others within the industry will flock to a number of afterparties being held around the capital.
The main Bafta afterparty will take place at the Southbank Centre.
But Netflix is hosting its own party to recognise its talent. The US media firm has multiple nominations, including for Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez.
It had planned to hold the event at the Chiltern Firehouse – a well-known celebrity hotspot which has previously hosted A-listers including Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp.
However, the hotel’s owner Andre Balazs said the venue will “remain closed until further notice” following Friday’s fire.
“We are grateful to confirm that no one was hurt, and our guests and staff safely evacuated,” he added.
Fire crews from Euston, Soho, Paddington, West Hampstead, Kensington, Chelsea, and surrounding fire stations were deployed after first being called just before 15:00 GMT, with videos on social media showing firefighters using a crane to douse flames as they engulfed the top of the building.
The fire service said the blaze started in ducting and spread from the ground floor to the roof of the four-storey hotel, and was under control by shortly after 20:00.
The cause is under investigation.
Located on Chiltern Street, the hotel occupies the site of a Victorian fire station built in 1889.
The Chiltern Firehouse opened in 2013 as a 26-suite hotel and 200-seater restaurant.
Crdit: BBC
