The unnamed owner was reported to be abroad. Margot Armstrong, a shop worker, said: "When I arrived at work, there was just thick black smoke and fire engines back to Piccadilly. It is so sad. It is such a beautiful house, I used to walk past and think 'What what a beautiful building'. Roads remained closed in the vicinity of the blaze, bordering some of the capital's most expensive shopping areas such as Bond Street. The fire spokesman said some shops in the area were temporarily closed. Mick Sayer, station manager at Southwark fire station, said at the scene: "Firefighters are working really hard to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible so that normality can be restored to the area. The occupants of the building had left the premises through the front door before we arrived. We have had 100 firefighters, 20 fire appliances and three aerial ladder platforms. There was a serious fire on the fourth and fifth floor. We have had to carry out considerable damage control work to reduce the damage caused by the water jets. He said that amid "very difficult" firefighting conditions the people who escaped remained at the scene for several hours to help minimise damage and remove personal effects. Ron Dobson, the London Fire Commissioner, said firefighters from stations across London were working "tirelessly" to bring the fire under control.