A fire has ripped through one of Britain’s oldest kosher restaurants in London’s West End.
Reubens, which has served generations of diners for decades, appears to have been gutted by the blaze which started shortly before 5am on Friday morning.
London Fire Brigade sent eight engines and around 60 firefighters to tackle the fire on Baker Street.
The service said the fire blaze hit a four-storey terraced building.
In an incident report, the brigade said: “The ground and first floors of the building were damaged by the fire. One of the Brigade’s 32m ladders was deployed to the scene as an observation tower.
“Around 20 people left the property before crews arrived.”
Fire at one BakerStreet store !!! pic.twitter.com/ndGFQMSmNe
— DINNY FRANCKLIN (@TheJhonsonBaby) August 9, 2024
The brigade was first called about the fire at 4.56am, and crews had the incident under control by 7.10am.
Firefighters from Paddington, Soho, Euston and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the brigade’s Fire Investigation Team.
The restaurant is a few minutes’ walk from Baker Street and Marylebone stations.
It is the second time Reubens has been hit by a fire this year.
In February, a blaze ripped through the restaurant forcing it to shut.
The Jewish Chronicle said it was believed to have been accidental and caused by an electrical fault.
