Fresh details have emerged after a hotel was evacuated with eight fire crews and police seen outside.

People staying at Watford’s Leonardo Hotel in Clarendon Road were seen gathered as emergency services rushed to the scene at 7.24pm last Thursday (November 21).

Fire engines outside the hotel.Fire engines outside the hotel. (Image: Sam Summer) At the time it was unclear what had happened, but today (November 28) Herts Fire and Rescue confirmed they were responding to a small fire in a first-floor toilet.

Due to being a high-rise building, protocols meant there was a significant emergency services response including engines from Watford, Garston, Rickmansworth, Hemel Hempstead, Hertford and St Albans.

The four-star hotel was evacuated due to its evacuation policy, a fire service spokesperson said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 10 minutes – with Watford’s crew having arrived within five minutes of it being reported. The cause has been listed as “accidental”.

Eyewitness Sam Summer told the Watford Observer at the time that there was heavy traffic in both directions as fire engines and police cars raced to the scene.

(Image: Sam Torabi) A Herts Police spokesperson said they were called at 7.35pm to assist with closing the ring road – but after reopening it shortly after, no more police involvement was required.

The Leonardo Hotel declined to comment.

The £16.5 million hotel, which opened in 2009 and was formerly known as the Jurys Inn, rebranded to Leonardo Hotel in 2021.