Firefighters 'save' wedding from Oxford hotel fire

A couple who were due to be married on Saturday were evacuated from Oxford's five-star Randolph Hotel after a massive fire.

Seventy firefighters tackled the hotel blaze on Friday just before Lauren Halliday and Steven Smith were to tie the knot.

According to the Daily Mail, the couple feared they would have to get married in their jeans after they were evacuated but their ceremony went ahead at St Edmund Hall.

Firefighters were able to salvage their rings and Lauren's bridal gown from the building.

According to the BBC, the fire is believed to have started in the kitchen and is not thought to be suspicious.

The extent of the damage is unclear but pictures showed the roof affected by the fire.

Pete Cleary, area manager for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, told Heart: "We've now scaled the operation right back. There will be one tender overnight to check for hotspots - this is a complicated building so need to keep a close on things but believe that basically the incident is over.

"Firefighters and hotel staff have now been into every room and removed all guests' belongings, and the hotel is reuniting people with their luggage."

Simon Furlong, assistant chief fire officer at Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We were working overnight to damp down the embers.

"There was a wedding party, we were liaising with them and we went back in and got the rings and the floor plans."

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