Jan. 19–PARIS — A fire burning Tuesday morning on the top floor of the famed Ritz hotel in central Paris has been brought under control, though it remains unclear how the blaze will impact the hotel's expected March re-opening.
Firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 7 am (0600 GMT) and the blaze was subdued by late morning, though fire captain Yvon Bot told French broadcaster that it would take longer to fully extinguish the fire.
The flames broke out on the seventh storey of the hotel, which is the top floor, and Bot explained that accessing material intended to insulate against heat and noise would be particularly time-consuming. "We are advancing metre by metre," he said.
Some 150 workers were evacuated in the morning, Bot said earlier, but no one was injured. Traffic was re-routed in the area of the Place Vendome, where the hotel is located.
The Ritz, long-time home to fashion designer Coco Chanel and a favourite hangout of writer Ernest Hemingway, was due to re-open in March. Owned by Egyptian business magnate Mohamed Al-Fayed, the hotel has been closed for renovation since 2012.
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