Updated: Google's UK headquarters on fire

Updated: Google's UK headquarters on fire

Tom Warren on 27 August 2009 - 14:19 · 38 comments & 8724 views

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Breaking News Wire is reporting that a fire has broken out at Google's UK headquarters in London.

The 6-story building is located at Buckingham Palace Road, near the Victoria Place Shopping Centre and can be seen below. "We were called in at 1.53 p.m. (local time)," a fire brigade spokesman said according to BNO. Firefighters are still currently on scene battling the fire but it has been described as "not very large" by the fire brigade. Initial rumours suggest that it could be the result of a BBQ gone wrong at Google. Neowin member Elven suggests it could be an iMac on fire (ha).

Currently there are no reports that anyone has been injured in the incident and we hope it remains that way. Daily Telegraph reporter Jon Swaine posted a picture of the fire on twitter.

Update: The Telegraph also confirmed the reports and provided a video of the events, we have embedded this below.

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(1 reply) #1 +Elven on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:20

Flame war at Google...

#1.1 Conjor on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:23

Someone typed "Google" as a search query on Google. I told you it would break the Internets.

#2 +bob21 on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:21

I did it, Leave ON2 Alone...

#3 +Phantom Helix™ on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:23

Steve Jobs: I told you this would happen!!

Eric Emerson Schmidt: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#4 thealexweb on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:23

Retribution from Apple for the Google Voice incident.

#5 Zyxel112 on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:24

yeaah..wohooo

(5 replies) #6 +Elven on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:24

Perhaps someone was using an Imac?

#6.1 +Phantom Helix™ on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:26

Running google Chrome OS HA!

#6.2 Soldiers33 on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:26

Elven said,

Perhaps someone was using an Imac?

lol

#6.3 Roadrunna on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:27

My first thought also, particularly as the news item below this was the smoking mac.

#6.4 Danielr0y on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:32

yes, roadrunna... That was the joke

#6.5 cork1958 on 27 Aug 2009 - 16:02

Roadrunna said,

My first thought also, particularly as the news item below this was the smoking mac.

Noticed that instantly also.

#7 bdsams on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:26

That looks a little bigger than a "small fire"

(2 replies) #8 metallithrax on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:29

To the tune of Londons Burning

Google's burning, Google's burning.
Fetch the (search)engines, fetch the (search)engines.
Bing Bing, Bing Bing!
Pour on Yahoo, pour on Yahoo.
Google's burning, Google's burning.

#8.1 sreteP on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:24

metallithrax said,

Lol!

#8.2 GoogolPlex on 27 Aug 2009 - 16:39

To the tune of "Beds are Burning" - Midnight Oil

How can we search when the Google's burnin...

#9 the andyman on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:30

Looks like a little bonfire on the roof!

(1 reply) #10 +Elven on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:36

Perhaps someone tried to divide Google by zero?

#10.1 jase chaos on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:38

Elven said,

Perhaps someone tried to divide Google by zero?

+1 LOL!

#11 Pauleh on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:37

This is Yahoo's doing.

(1 reply) #12 neufuse on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:42

looks like a air conditioner on the roof or some kinda HVAC system caught fire, not the building itself (but could of spread to the building)

#12.1 acnpt on 27 Aug 2009 - 17:23

Yep, that was my first thought.

Anyway, always good for an Arthur Brown song:
'I am the God of Hell Fire, and I bring you.......FIRE!'

(1 reply) #13 lordcanti86 on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:42

Meanwhile, news reports are coming in about Apple's new product: the iFire....

#13.1 Zyxel112 on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:08

+1 haha

#14 James Brooks on 27 Aug 2009 - 14:45

Maybe Google decided whilst their iMac's were all burning to have a little camp fire?

#15 kiran_aryan on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:12

Did Ryan start the fire? :p

#16 Omen1393 on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:15

I half expected to go to google.com and see the letters on fire....what a shame.

#17 Julius Caro on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:27

First imacs, now this. Maybe window's doomsday will be tomorrow! Oh wait. The 360 is mentioned below google and the burning imac. That one fails all by itself. So I guess we're even. Go linux!

#18 TRC on 27 Aug 2009 - 15:49

Again? Didn't one of their buildings catch fire a while back? People were making jokes that Microsoft did it.

#19 srwal on 27 Aug 2009 - 16:06

I guess Google is still the hottest thing right now...

#20 _dandy_ on 27 Aug 2009 - 16:53

I like the included StreetView picture of the area, with the Report a Problem link...

#21 SirDoan on 27 Aug 2009 - 17:15

lol bummer.

#22 nero78 on 27 Aug 2009 - 17:43

Wow! Fire in the smokebin. WOW! What news! Biiiig fire!"!! wow wow

#23 Regression_88 on 27 Aug 2009 - 23:22

It seems Google can do a lot of things as of late.... except cook.

#24 lexa000 on 28 Aug 2009 - 13:15

"The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on Fire..."
On a side note, did anyone notice the blending error in the streetview, looks like the van ran up the back of the little red thing.

(2 replies) #25 JesusHChrist on 28 Aug 2009 - 18:27

While the fire burned, Google employees searched for a fire extinguisher.

They got 1.35 million results. And an ad for bottled water.

#25.1 jnelsoninjax on 29 Aug 2009 - 01:40

Are you sure about the bottled water ad? I would think something more relevant, like an ad for a fire suppression system!

#25.2 JesusHChrist on 30 Aug 2009 - 01:08

jnelsoninjax said,

Are you sure about the bottled water ad? I would think something more relevant, like an ad for a fire suppression system!

You don't get invited to parties a lot, do you? Do people always end up drawing you a picture on a napkin? Does "Paint-by-numbers" confuse you?

If this sounds like you , you just may be stupid.

Yep, it sounds like you.

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Updated: Google's UK headquarters on fire

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