Seven fire engines rush to hotel - but no fire found

Fire engine represents emergency services response to incidents (Illustrative image - AI generated) Upday Stock Images

Multiple fire engines and police descended on the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf on Sunday evening following reports of a fire. London Fire Brigade was called at 4:50pm with emergency services quickly dispatching crews to the scene.

Video footage circulating online shows at least seven fire engines outside the hotel on Marsh Wall. The significant emergency response reflected the scale of the initial reports, with firefighters conducting a systematic search of the building.

No fire found

Fire crews found no actual fire after their thorough investigation of the premises. Initial reports had suggested a possible electrical fire on the seventh floor, but these proved to be false alarms.

The hotel is currently being used as asylum seeker accommodation under a Home Office arrangement. This has made it a focal point for controversy in recent months, with the building becoming the centre of anti-asylum protests since summer 2025.

Protester presence during emergency

Anti-migrant protesters were present during the emergency response, with reports indicating they made taunting chants toward hotel residents. Protest flags that had been positioned around the hotel perimeter were removed during the emergency response.

The professional handling of the incident by emergency services ensured a swift resolution despite the challenging circumstances. The Britannia Hotel's location in London's financial district meant the large-scale emergency response was highly visible to the public.

Sources used: "Express", "GBNews", "Metro"

Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.