Dozens of firefighters spent Saturday night battling a huge blaze which gutted part of a historic building on London’s Chancery Lane.
Twenty five fire engines and around 150 firefighters were called to a fire, which is believed to have broken out in the headquarters of the Law Society in Holborn at around 10.40pm.
The head of the Law Society said the organisation had been left “extremely upset” after the blaze.
Chief executive Paul Tennant thanked the London Fire Brigade (LFB) for its efforts in battling the blaze that hit the roof of the building on Chancery Lane on Saturday night.
He said: “First of all I wanted to express my gratitude to the fire service and my relief that nobody has been hurt.
“I also want to express my sympathy to the residents in the Chancery Lane area whom I understand may have had to evacuate their homes.
“It is too early to comment on the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage but clearly we are extremely upset that this has happened to this wonderful and historic building.”
Some 28 people left the building before the London Fire Brigade arrived and 11 people were evacuated from nearby flats as a precaution. There were no reports of any injuries.
The fire was brought under control shortly before 10am on Sunday morning.
Assistant commissioner Dom Ellis, who was at the scene, said: “This was a very complex fire due to the age and layout of the building.
“Firefighters worked throughout the night in very challenging and arduous conditions to prevent the fire from spreading to key areas of the historic building, while also trying to prevent water damage.
“They will remain on scene throughout the day damping down and cutting away. There will also be on-going salvage work to minimise damage to the building.”
The roof of the six-storey building and a staircase from the third to the fifth floor were destroyed by the fire. Half of the third and fourth floor were also damaged.
Aerial ladder platforms and turntable ladders were used to tackle the fire in the roof from height.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but is being investigated by firefighters.
The Times reported that the fire broke out whilst junior lawyers division of the society was having its annual dinner in the building, which has stood in Chancery Lane since the 1830s.
Charlotte Parkinson, chair of the junior lawyers, told the paper: “We’d had dinner and were just having coffee when the fire alarm sounded.
“The staff handled it so well. We weren’t sure if it was a test or a real fire until we got outside, when we could smell smoke.
“The main thing is that no-one was hurt.”