160 people evacuated from Travelodge in west London as fire breaks out in middle of the night

Around 160 people were evacuated from a Travelodge in west London after fire broke out in the middle of the night.

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Fifteen fire engines were sent to the High Street in Brentford when a fire began in a bin room next to the building.

Station commander Nathan Hobson said: "When firefighters arrived they were faced with a rapidly developing fire.

"Firefighters carried out a systematic search of the hotel and fought the fire internally which helped stop the fire spreading further."

London Fire Brigade was called to the fire just before 3am. Reg Williams, who was staying at the Travelodge, said parts of the building covered in cladding were "shrouded" in smoke.

"The fire crews had the hoses in that cladded area for ages," he told the PA news agency.

Mr Williams, from Stratford-Upon-Avon, said the alarm in the hotel went off at 2.45am and the guests were quickly evacuated.

"The fire was quite big, the flames were 20 metres high," he said.

"It really went up quickly."

He said that buses were brought in to relocate guests to another Travelodge Hotel in Hounslow but there was not enough room for everyone.Mr Williams said he was told he would not be able to go back into the hotel until after midday.

"The tiredness is starting to kick in," he said."We've been out in the cold for most of the night."I'm more concerned about getting back to my job."

The blaze was "under control" by 6.53am and its cause is now being investigated by fire officers and police, the brigade said.

LFB assistant commissioner Graham Ellis, who was at the scene, said the brigade's control room received 17 calls about the fire.

He said: "Firefighters carried out a systematic search of the hotel and around 160 guests and staff evacuated the building.

"Fire crews will be damping down pockets of fire and carrying out salvage work throughout the morning.

"There were no reports of any injuries." 040915 DEC 19