Fire at Oxford Macdonald Randolph hotel ‘started in kitchen'
The fire which broke out in the historic Macdonald Randolph hotel in Oxford yesterday is believed to have started in the ground-floor kitchen.
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire's Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze, which resulted in the evacuation of guests and staff from the 151-bedroom, five-AA-star hotel and adjoining buildings, is not believed to be suspicious.
The alarm was raised just after 4.30pm when smoke was seen billowing from the roof of the hotel. Fourteen fire engines were called to the scene, along with Thames Valley Police and the ambulance service. Three people were assessed for injuries, but no further medical attention was required.
Peter Cleary, station manager from Oxfordshire's Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Although the fire was a dramatic one we did successfully manage to prevent it from spreading to large parts of the hotel. We've done our very best to help those who were resident in the hotel."
All guests were accommodated at alternative hotels overnight, and urgent medication and passports were collected from rooms of the Randolph by the fire and rescue service. Support was provided to tourists who needed to leave Oxford to catch overseas flights.
Fire officers also retrieved outfits, rings, table plans and decorations for a party of weddings guests who were due to attend a ceremony today (Saturday).
Further personal items and luggage from other guests will be removed from the hotel today.
A spokesperson for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts said that an internal investigation had begun to establish the cause of the fire.
"Our immediate priority was to conduct the safe evacuation of all our guests and staff within the property. This was successfully completed with no reported casualties."
"Macdonald Hotels would like to acknowledge the support they have had from fellow Oxford hoteliers."
The Macdonald Randolph was once a familiar backdrop to many episodes of ITV's Inspector Morse series, after which the hotel's Morse bar was named.
Photo by @KellyDeMirandis Twitter
