Twenty five fire engines and around 150 firefighters were called to a fire in an office building on Chancery Lane in Holborn.
The roof of the six-storey building and a staircase from the third to the fifth floor were destroyed by the fire. Half of the third and fourth floor were also damaged. Around twenty eight people left the building before the Brigade arrived and 11 people were evacuated from nearby flats as a precaution. There were no reports of any injuries.
Aerial ladder platforms and turntable ladders were used to tackle the fire in the roof from height.
Assistant Commissioner Dom Ellis, who was at the scene, said: “This was a very complex fire due to the age and layout of the building.
"Firefighters worked throughout the night in very challenging and arduous conditions to prevent the fire from spreading to key areas of the historic building, while also trying to prevent water damage.
"Crews remained on scene throughout Sunday damping down and cutting away. They also carried out salvage work to minimise damage to the building.”
The Brigade was called at 2240 and the fire was under control by 0948 (Sunday). Fire crews from Soho, Dowgate, Euston,Islington, Lambeth, Whitechapel, Paddington, Shoreditch, Shadwell and Old Kent Road fire stations were at the scene.
Fire investigators have now completed their examination at the scene and believe the cause of the fire to be accidental, although the exact cause has currently been recorded as undetermined.
The fire appears to have started within a ceiling void on the third floor and subsequently spread throughout the voids, increasing the challenge for our firefighters with both firefighting and protecting the contents of the building.