Watch: Christmas decorations catch fire in London restaurant, diners forced to flee

Diners at a Latin American restaurant in London’s West End were forced to flee after Christmas decorations caught fire on Friday night. Visuals from MNKY HSE, the restaurant on Dover Street, Mayfair, showed blaze erupting and people rushing to escape as flames spread quickly. Two people were reportedly injured in this fire and were treated by ambulance staff for their injuries.

London fire brigade said it was called out at 9.40pm to a fire in the basement of the building. It attended the incident and the fire was brought under control in less than half an hour.

Videos viral on social media

Videos of the incident viral on social media showed raging flames as diners attempted to escape the fire. Some were seen still holding their drinks, while some ducked beneath and crawled to the door as ceiling decoration caught alight. The visuals also showed people falling over, while others screamed and shouted at other guests to “go”.

Fire brigade says reason being investigated

 “Firefighters were called to a fire at a restaurant on Dover Street in Mayfair," a spokesperson for London fire brigade, reported The Guardian.

“Christmas decorations inside the building were alight and had been extinguished before firefighters arrived. About 300 people were evacuated by on-site staff and crews carried out a systematic search of the property to ensure no one was inside on arrival."

“A man and a woman were treated on scene by London ambulance service crews. Dover Street was closed while crews worked to make the scene safe."

“The brigade was called at 9.40m and the incident was over for firefighters by 10.18pm. Five fire engines and around 35 firefighters from Soho, Lambeth, Kensington and Chelsea fire stations attended the scene.”

The spokesperson said the reason for the fire remains under investigation, adding that thermal imaging was used to check everything was in order once the fire was put out.