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Diners were forced to flee a Chelsea restaurant after a fire engulfed the building.
The blaze gutted Eight Over Eight in King's Road, a popular celebrity hang-out frequented by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Sienna Miller and Daniel Craig.
About 50 customers were in the dining area and bar when the fire started in the kitchen.
The restaurant's 14 staff evacuated the building with diners standing out on the street until emergency services arrived. No one was injured.
It took firefighters more than seven hours to bring the blaze under control.
A bystander said: “I walked past at 9.45pm and the whole of the King's Road was clouded under thick smoke.It was hard to make out the restaurant and there were more than 20 people standing outside on the street apart from the firefighters.”
Residents and people eating at the King's Road Steakhouse & Grill as well at other bars and venues nearby also had to be evacuated.
King's Road remained closed to traffic this morning.
Reader views (7)
The best Pork Belly ever!!! come back soon.
- Hagen, Chelsea, 20/10/2009 14:19
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my granddaughter has a flat there, but she was here for her sister's wedding.. what a mess to go home to. I am so thankful that no one was injured or worse! Now where will I go to visit her if she has to move?????
- Jo Spencer, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16/10/2009 02:49
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My family own one of the flats above, thankfully little damage!
- Albert Mackintosh, Norwich, 14/10/2009 19:11
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Much of my youth was spent in that building as The Man in the Moon and then later as Eight over Eight... I hope it's back up and running soon... where will I go!
- Amy Swanson, London, 13/10/2009 21:39
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Never heard about it. Strange.
- Phil, Islington, London, 12/10/2009 20:53
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Whilst their cocktails were, unsurprisingly, somewhat expensive (particularly when you downed up to 10 a night), I have to say the staff never skimped on the booze measures. Hope you're back up and running soon.
- Jonathan Charles, Fulham, London., 12/10/2009 18:50
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Damn! I love that restaurant. Hope it comes back soon!!
- Natasha Storey, London, UK, 12/10/2009 14:24
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