A major fire has caused extensive damage to Reubens, a long-standing kosher restaurant on Baker Street in central London. The blaze, which broke out early Friday morning, burned through

the ground and first floors of the four-story building housing the restaurant.

The fire began at 4:56 a.m. at the nearly 50-year-old establishment, prompting the evacuation of around 20 people. Sixty firefighters responded to the scene and managed to bring the blaze under control by 7:10 a.m., according to an incident report from the London Fire Brigade.

“The ground and first floors of the building were damaged by the fire. One of the brigade’s 32-meter ladders was deployed to the scene as an observation tower," the report noted. Fortunately, all occupants had left the property before the fire crews arrived.

This incident marks the second major fire at Reubens in recent months. In February, a fire—caused by an electrical fault—ripped through the restaurant, resulting in four people being taken to the hospital and forcing the establishment to temporarily close.

Staff have indicated that the recent blaze was accidental, similar to the previous incident. Photo by Dean Molyneaux, Wikimedia commons.