Firefighter spokesman Captain Yvon Bot said it was a “highly technical fire” that was hard to bring under control since firefighters “had great difficulty accessing the fire”.
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Paris: A major fire broke out at the landmark Paris Ritz hotel, which is closed for renovations, the fire service said today.
Police in the French capital said there were no known casualties.
Roads around the hotel are now blocked off as firefighters tackle the blaze. She was there with Dodi Al Fayed, the son of the hotel’s owner, Egyptian billionaire and Harrods owner Mohamed al-Fayed.
It is not the first time the Place Vendome has seen a fire – in 2012 a blaze at an underground auto park, prompting the nearby square to be evacuated.
Some 60 firefighters and around 15 fire engines were dispatched to the blaze after the alert was raised at 6:00 am (0500 GMT).
The hotel, located in the high end area of Place Vendome, is where Princess Diana spent her final hours before dying in a auto crash in 1997.
It was due to re-open later this year after a three-year closure for renovations. It is celebrated amongst other things for being the birthplace of the Bloody Mary (vodka and tomato juice).
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A decision was taken to rebuild the hotel in 2012, after it failed to meet the demanding new standards to qualify for “palace” status introduced for luxury hotels by the city of Paris.
