A devastating fire has caused serious damage to a world-famous hotel used as a setting for television ’ s Inspector Morse . The Randolph , in Oxford city centre , went up in flames this afternoon , with smoke billowing from the roof as dozens of firefighters battled to bring the inferno under control . The extent of the damage to the Grade II listed Victorian building remains unclear but aerial pictures of the scene showed gaps in the roof and exposed beams . The Randolph Hotel , in Oxford , used as a setting for television ’ s Inspector Morse , caught fire today . A devastating fire has caused serious damage to The Randolph Hotel , in Beaumont Street , today . Plumes of black smoke was seen coming from the hotel by those on the Ashmolean Museum 's roof terrace . The fire 's cause is not known and the extent of the damage to the Grade II listed building remains unclear . The five-star hotel , run by the Macdonald chain , includes the Morse Bar , named after being used as a frequent setting for many scenes where Morse and Lewis deliberated on complex cases . Cast and crew also stayed there while filming the detective drama . The Morse Bar has featured in episodes of the follow-on TV series , Lewis , too . Roads were closed around the hotel as fire crews fought to stop the flames spreading , while its staff and guests were evacuated . Firefighters will remain overnight at the scene of the fire , which is not believed to be suspicious and is thought to have started in the ground floor kitchen . An aerial view over the historic hotel shows massive plumes of smoke billowing over Oxford city centre . The fire is not believed to be suspicious and is believed to have started in the ground floor kitchen . The extent of the damage is unclear , but pictures of the scene showed gaps in the roof and exposed beams . No-one was believed to be injured and guests and staff evacuated to the nearby Oxford Playhouse theatre . Eyewitness Anabel Bacon , who was on the roof terrace of the Ashmolean Museum opposite the imposing , gothic hotel , said there was an initial plume of smoke , which stopped very quickly - but “ all of a sudden it resumed again with just as much force ” . She said : ‘ The fire service was there very quickly after the second plume erupted , within five minutes . Everyone was surprised… no one knew what was going on. ’ No-one was believed to have been injured in the fire , with guests and staff quickly evacuated to the nearby Oxford Playhouse theatre . It was not yet known how many people were inside the hotel at the time . An Oxfordshire fire service spokesman said : ‘ The call was received by fire and rescue at 4.39pm and a total of 14 fire engines have been sent to the hotel - including two high-reach appliances . ‘ Firefighters have not had to rescue anybody from the blaze and the building has been evacuated . 'Roads nearby have been closed as firefighters deal with the incident . ' The Randolph was built in 1864 by William Wilkinson , an architect who also designed many other buildings in North Oxford , and first opened in 1866 . There have been many attempts to preserve the grandeur of the building with major refurbishments taking place in 1952 , 1978 , 1988 and most recently in 2001 , at a cost of £4 million , which saw the redecoration of 119 bedrooms and the creation of three new meeting rooms . Firefighters have been battling the blaze at the world-famous in the centre of Oxford , since around 4.30pm . A total of 14 fire engines have been sent to the Beaumont Street hotel - including two high-reach appliances . Beaumont street has been closed in both directions to allow emergency services access to the building . Smoke was seen billowing from the roof as dozens of firefighters battle to bring the inferno under control .
Witnesses reported massive plumes of smoke billowing above the building . Famous for being used a filming location for TV show Inspector Morse . Firefighters have been battling fire at five-star gothic hotel since 4.30pm . Blaze is not believed to be suspicious and is thought to have started in ground floor kitchen .