Blaze in Rodizio Rico London O2 restaurant evacuates 1,200 people

Over 1,200 people had to be evacuated from the O2 event venue in Greenwich, south London, after a fire broke out in a restaurant ducting extraction system.

The ducting at Brazilian barbecue restaurant Rodizio Rico was emitting thick smoke and the smell of plastic into the rest of the venue, which led to customers being evacuated at about 11.15am.

No-one was killed or injured, but guests were not allowed to go back inside until after 4pm. The official O2 Twitter account today said the closure was to allow the fire brigade and its own teams to carry out safety checks.

In a statement by the London Fire Brigade, Greenwich station manager Martin Freeman, who was on the scene, described the fire as small, but said it had created a lot of smoke. Fire engines were called at 11.15am, and had the fire under control by 1.24pm.

Freeman said: "Although this was a small fire it did create a lot of smoke and so security staff evacuated people from arena. Crews quickly tackled the fire and then searched the ducting between the roof and the ground floor to ensure that they had thoroughly damped down any remaining hotspots. There were no injuries."

Rodizio Rico, which describes itself as a Brazilian grill, churrascaria and bar, plus a venue showcasing live Brazilian music, has two other sites in London (Islington and Notting Hill), plus a location in Birmingham.

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