Fire at Jamie's Italian in Greenwich: Diners evacuated

Diners eating at Jamie's Italian in Greenwich on Sunday ended up being evacuated after a fire broke out in the restaurant.

The blaze is thought to have started in the kitchen of the restaurant on Nelson Road, Greenwich.

See also: Unusual restaurants in London​

According to the Evening Standard, three fire engines and 15 firefighters were sent to the scene of the blaze with crews from East Greenwich and Deptford fire stations attending.

Paul Hobbs, station manager, said: "Crews wearing breathing apparatus worked quickly to bring the fire under control.

See also: The best restaurant in the world​

"They successfully stopped it from spreading and used dry powder and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers to contain the fire to the deep fat fryer."

Diner Stephen Sangster was eating at the restaurant with his children when the incident occurred.

He said: "A few of the staff tried to put it out by putting a blanket over it and then the alarm went off.

"All the staff asked us to evacuate out the back. It was only when we saw the smoke and the fire engines arriving we thought 'crikey'."

Mr Sangster added: "Our biggest concern was leaving out stuff behind - we weren't quite sure if we'd get it back.

"But we came back a few hours later and the fire brigade got the belongings which stunk of smoke but otherwise were undamaged."

According to ITV News, 100 people ended up being evacuated from the building. The fire is thought to have been caused by a deep fat fryer.

The Norwich branch of Jamie's Italian was hit by controversy recently when a diner found maggot-like insects falling from the ceiling.

According to AOL Money, one diner felt something wriggling on his head only to find the creepy crawlies were falling from the ceiling onto the tables and into their food.

Related articles:

Ten of the best: British pubs with rooms​

UK restaurants awarded new Michelin stars