Brad and Matt Caught in Blaze

A fire at Claridge's Hotel wrecks plans for an 'Ocean's Twelve' press conference and disrupts Jim Carrey

Dec 17 2004

Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Jim Carrey were evacuated from London's Claridge's Hotel yesterday when a fire broke out.

The blaze, which apparently started in the kitchen area, saw four fire engines rush to the scene and the hotel close down for much of the day.

Pitt and Damon were in town to publicise their new film 'Ocean's Twelve' at a press conference in Claridge's ballroom, and the fire not only disrupted their day, but also that of the journalists and photographers attending the event.

Indeed Time Out's intrepid reporter, covering the conference for this website, was sent to The Dorchester for a hastily re-arranged Q&A, only to be immediately sent back to Claridge's, where a second fire alarm saw the whole event being cancelled.

Both actors will now fly back to the States, while said reporter was forced to return to Time Out Towers empty-handed.

Carrey meanwhile, in town publicising new film 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events', said that he was left shaken and stirred by the dramatic events of the morning.

'The movie's all about fire and disaster' he explained, 'And so I get up for the junket today and suddenly my house is burning down and I'm on the balcony like a damsel screaming with a very high pitched voice.'

The rubber-faced star soldiered on however, and following an afternoon free of further unfortunate events, he eventually made it to last night's star-studded Leicester Square premiere.