Fire extinguished at city centre restaurant

Firefighters forced entry to tackle the kitchen fire

Fire crews have extinguished a blaze at a restaurant in Oxford city centre.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the fire in the kitchen at the rear of the ASK Italian building "could be clearly seen from the street".

Fire engines were sent to the scene in George Street from Rewley Road and Slade Park fire stations shortly before 23:00 BST on Friday, with firefighters smashing a window to gain access.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown and an investigation is under way.

Fire engines were sent to the scene in George Street on Friday evening

A fire service spokesperson said: "Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had to force entry and extinguished the fire using high pressure hose reels.

"A large fan was used to remove smoke from the building."

Incident commander Jason Clifford said the early detection from the fire alarm "prevented the fire escalating to the rest of the building".