Major fire breaks out at famed Ritz hotel in Paris

A major fire has broken out at the famed luxury hotel Ritz in Paris, France, only two months ahead of its re-opening.

Owned by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, the hotel was scheduled to re-open in March after a three-year renovation project.

The blaze broke out at 6am local time on 19 January.

Fire spread through the top floor of the hotel, but around 15 fire trucks and 60 firefighters had brought it under control by mid-morning.

About 150 workers were evacuated from the hotel, which is located in Place Vendome square in central Paris. There were no casualties.

Paris fire department spokesman Yvon Bot told Reuters, "The fire is under control, there’s no more risk of it spreading, but the operation will be ongoing for awhile."

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Opened in 1898, the Ritz Hotel has been the hotel of choice for big names, including Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway.

It was the first hotel in Paris to have electricity in all its floors, according to France24.com.

Al-Fayed purchased the hotel in 1979, and renovated it over the next ten years.

Image: The Ritz Paris hotel was scheduled to re-open in March this year. Photo: courtesy of Moonik / Wikipedia.