Around 160 guests and staff rescued from blazing Travelodge hotel in Brentford

Around 160 guests and staff were evacuated from a Travelodge hotel in Brentford, west London, when a fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

No one was injured in the blaze, which is believed to have started in a bin room on the ground floor of a neighbouring building before spreading to the five-storey hotel.

Some 100 firefighters tackled the fire after the alarm was raised at 2.52am. A rest centre was set up by Hounslow Council to support guests and staff. The fire was brought under control by 6.53am.

Graham Ellis, assistant commissioner of London Fire Brigade, which attended the incident, said: "The fire crew's offensive firefighting helped stop the fire spreading further and protected large parts of the building. The brigade’s control took 17 999 calls to the visible blaze.

“This is an excellent example of multi-agencies working together to bring a challenging incident under control with no injuries. Police, London ambulance service, Hounslow Council, Transport for London and Travelodge’s cohesive approach is ensuring that normality can be restored to the local community as quickly as possible.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by fire officers and the police.

A spokesperson for Travelodge said: “This morning, Wednesday 4 December 2019, reports were made of a fire at our hotel at London Kew Bridge, Brentford. The emergency services attended and have subsequently confirmed that guests have been safely evacuated and there are no reports of injuries. Guests are being looked after locally and our team are now making arrangements for their future accommodation and support. We continue to work with the emergency services at the site and would like to thank them and local agencies for their rapid response, and to offer our thanks to our guests for their cooperation with the evacuation.”