At least nine fire engines, an ambulance, police cars, and a helicopter have been called to extinguish a fire at the five-star Randolph Hotel in Oxford, sending smoke across the city.
The causes of the fire are unknown, but according to the Oxford Playhouse’s Twitter account, it has been successfully contained. People in the Ashmolean Museum have been told to remain where they are, and hotel guests have been evacuated. Surrounding streets have been cordoned off and bus routes diverted.
A source at the scene has told Cherwell that members of the fire service have been spotted entering the building wearing masks and air tanks.
According to a guest, the fire is believed to have started in the kitchens, and the hotel’s front desk is believed to have initially told a guest that the fire alarm was malfunctioning, until they became aware of smoke in the building.
She told Cherwell, “I didn’t think much of it, I figured it’d resolve but within a few minutes it was persistent and then I started smelling smoke.
“There are these stained glass windows you can see if you’re running down the stairs, beautiful old stained glass windows…it was just all aflame; all the windows, floor to ceiling. Right behind the windows, it was a raging flame.”
A spokesperson for the hotel stated, “We can confirm that all guests and staff have been evacuated safely from the Macdonald Randolph Hotel following a fire. The Police and Fire Service are currently at the site and we are working closely with them to deal with the incident. Our focus is on the safety of our guests and our team, and to support the emergency services.”
