Reports are coming into Macworld of a fire close by Apple's European headquarters, a short walk from the flagship Apple Store, Regent Street, London.
"About five fire engines arrived a little way down Hanover Street, and the insurance chap who was here said that was an alarm system that would call the fire brigade automatically - so was presumably a real fire," one eye witness told Macworld.
"A lot of employees passed us and went to Hanover Square, couldn't see any Apple outfits but could have been corporate." Apple Europe Limited is located at 1 Hanover Street, London, while Apple (UK) Limited is at 2 Furzeground Way, Stockley Park, Uxbridge.
"(We) saw firemen pulling some part of the door to the right of 1 Hanover Street down, and we both saw some smoke or steam come out of that door, into which firemen had been running and taking hoses. They have since pulled a load of stuff which looks like bits of wood and quite a lot of electrical cable type bits onto the pavement outside that door, and have been rolling their hoses up - water has been coming out so they've either been using them to pump water out or spray water in."
"The police have closed most of Hanover Street, from Regent Street to just beyond us in the direction of Hanover Square, and are still not letting people through at this moment, and the employees who came out earlier have still not gone back in. No major fire but there's certainly a lot of activity around here."
A second report said the Apple Store, Regent Street was briefly closed as firemen dealt with the nearby fire. Additionally, M Beville wrote on Twitter: "Apple iStore Regent's Street appears to have been evacuated along with much of the block. Damage appears to be on the Hanover St end."
Traumata noted: "Fire engines and police on Regents St/Hanover St, road outside our office is sealed off with police tape..." JEEdenborough tweeted: "Chaos on Regent street by apple store and Hanover street - plenty of fire engines, no sign of any smoke."
One Hanover Street was re-developed by The Crown Estate and Stanhope about five years ago and has an imressive listed Regent Street faade and a contemporary entrance on Hanover Street.
David Shaw, Head of Regent Street Strategy and Development at The Crown Estate, said at the time: "We’re delighted that Apple have chosen One Hanover Street as the location of their European HQ. This shows that this location adjacent to Regent Street with a Mayfair address and a Soho outlook, masses of space, the best transport connections in London and its international shopping brands and flagship stores, is a major attraction for corporate business."
The building is distinctive to passers-by as it includes external and internal art by Bruce McLean.
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