Singer Robbie Williams has described the moment the luxury London hotel he was staying in caught fire, with a bellboy knocking on his door urging him to 'Get out!'

The Take That star, 44, was among hundreds who ran for their lives when the exclusive Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knighstbridge burst into flames yesterday.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the 12-storey building across London's Hyde Park as passers-by and evacuated staff watched on in disbelief.

The singer and his wife Ayda Field, 39, were in London ahead of the Soccer Aid charity football match in Manchester on Sunday, before he was filmed on social media dashing down the fire escape and giving a thumbs up when he got outside.

Describing what happened he said: 'I went on the balcony and looked up and there was just billows and billows of smoke.

'I came back in from the balcony and said, 'The hotel's on fire,' and then the next thing a knock at the door came and there was a bellboy there and they said, 'Get out'.'

The couple were pictured smiling just a few hours afterwards at a Downing Street reception for Soccer Aid despite getting caught up in the blaze.

Huge clouds of black smoke are pictured emerging from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge in William Street, central London when it caught fire on Wednesday

Singer Robbie Williams, 44, (left) was staying at the hotel ahead of a charity football match in Manchester on Sunday when he got caught up in the blaze

The 44-year-old singer (pictured) was seen rushing down the fire escape and then giving a thumbs up to say he was out of the hotel safely

Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field are pictured attending a Downing Street reception for Soccer Aid after escaping the fire yesterday, which will take place in Manchester on Sunday

The couple appeared calm and relaxed despite the dramatic incident at their hotel hours before

Williams and his wife are pictured posing for photographers outside No 10 Downing Street

The Take That star, 44, (right) was pictured outside No 10 with fellow celebrities Gordon Ramsay (left), Mo Farah (far left), Usain Bolt (centre) and French footballer Robert Pires (centre right) ahead of the Soccer Aid fundraiser in Manchester on Sunday

Williams is pictured with his wife Ayda shaking hands with a police officer outside Downing Street in central London yesterday evening (left), before meeting chef Gordon Ramsay there (right)

Over 200 firefighters and 20 fire crews battled for six hours to bring the fire under control, which investigators believe started when plants on the outside of the building set alight - spreading to several floors.

The hotel evacuated 36 guests and 250 members of staff from the building and no one was trapped or injured in the fire, emergency services said yesterday.

A Mandarin Oriental spokesman told MailOnline the hotel has been closed so detectives can investigate the cause of the fire.

Guests are being put up in other hotels in London.

They said: 'On the afternoon of 6 June a fire broke out at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. The fire has been extinguished and all guests and colleagues are safe and accounted for.

'We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has conveyed their concern about this sad incident and we also thank the emergency services for their swift response.

'We are working closely with them to ensure the safety of the building and to assess the full extent of the damage.

'Hotel guests are being accommodated at other hotels in the vicinity and we are in the process of assisting future guests with alternative accommodation until such time that we are ready to re-open.'

Hundreds of guests were caught up in a fire at the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge this afternoon - just weeks after it underwent a £185million refurbishment

Eyewitnesses took photographs of smoke billowing from the roof of the exclusive Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge

London Fire Brigade said 20 fire engines and 120 fire fighters were sent to battle the blaze

A London Fire Brigade spokesman told MailOnline that 80 per cent of the plants outside the hotel were damaged, along with 10 per cent of the ground to seventh floors.

A fifth of the eighth and ninth floors were damaged by the blaze along with 10 per cent of the roof and plant machinery up there.

Firefighters suspect the blaze spread across a vertical facade for plants and vegetation and into 'several floors' of the hotel, but it was 'quickly extinguished'.

A tradesman working at the hotel said he saw a 'big fire' on the roof before raising the alarm.

The Hong Kong-owned hotel recently finished the most extensive and costly refurbishment in its 115-year history, with rooms only re-opening to the public last Tuesday.

Part of the £185million refurbishment was damaged by the fire, but Mandarin Oriental is yet to reveal how much and when the hotel expects to re-open.

The flames were finally put out at 9.51pm yesterday after they broke out at 3.55pm.

The area surrounding the Mandarin Oriental hotel was completely closed off as emergency services raced to the scene

Thick black smoke (pictured) was seen billowing across the capital's skyline from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in William Street, Knightsbridge

In dramatic footage shared by a fellow hotel guest on social media, singer Robbie Williams was seen dashing down the fire escape before giving a thumbs up when he emerged unscathed outside.

The Angels singer, who lives in Los Angeles, arrived in London earlier this week ahead the Soccer Aid 2018 tournament due to take place on Sunday.

The former Take That star set up the charity event with Jonathan Wilkes in 2006.

Williams will be captain of England's team this year as they take on the rest of the world at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground.

Dressed in a bright blue Unicef hoodie this afternoon, the star appeared calm despite the hectic situation as he made his escape down the 12 flights of stairs outside the hotel.

In a video posted to social media, he reached the end of the stairs surrounded by his team when the camera panned back to the roof of the luxurious hotel which was engulfed in thick black smoke.

Instagram user Nicholas Hardwick was also fleeing the fire at the same time as Williams and caught the moment on camera.

He shared the clip to the social media platform, captioning the alarming moment: 'This is actually happening! #evacuation'.

Australian singer and actress Holly Valance was nearby when the flames broke out.

The 35-year-old tweeted: 'This is just terrible #mandarinoriental just minutes ago. Went up in seconds!'

London Fire Brigade Station Manager Pam Oparaocha said: 'The smoke from this large fire was very visible across central London this afternoon and we received a number of emergency calls.

'Firefighters are likely to be there throughout the evening.'

Ms Oparaocha said investigators are currently looking into how the blaze started.

A fire fighter rests amongst fire hoses on the pavement outside the Mandarin Oriental hotel after a fire on Wednesday afternoon

The London Ambulance Service confirmed there were no patients treated but continue to remain at the scene as a precaution

More than 100 firefighters rushed to the hotel and quickly worked to put out the fire

A firefighter assesses the damage on an extended ladder, while black plumes of smoke billowed from the roof

Firefighters are seen tackling the blaze at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in central London

Fire crews are pictured spraying jets toward the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge

Crowds of people gathered at the police cordon in Knightsbridge as they watched the flames

Hotel staff and tradesmen were evacuated to Hyde Park from the Mandarin Oriental hotel, as London Fire Brigade said 20 fire engines and 120 firefighters and officers had been called to the scene

Mandarin Oriental staff are pictured in Hyde Park waiting nervously outside as the flames continued. They were given bottles of water when they were evacuated

A group of women are pictured chatting after being evacuated from the exclusive hotel

Pedestrians are pictured running away from the police cordon that has blocked off most of Knightsbridge

Fire crews pictured outside the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, central London after a huge fire broke out at around 3.55pm

The 19-year-old lift engineer, who was working on the roof and gave his name as Harry, said: 'I was in the lift and I hit the fire alarm button.

'I was in the lift shaft and I looked to my left and saw the geezers working on the roof.

'To my left there was a big fire.

'I said (to my colleague) ''Lee, there's a fire over there, let's get out of the building. Get out the lift shaft, I'm being serious''.

'We ran down the stairs and went and got the scaffolder out of the loading bay.'

He said the builders on the roof had been cutting materials and doing other work during the day.

Staff at the hotel were evacuated to Hyde Park where they were given bottles of water.

Huge clouds of smoke are pictured billowing across London's skyline this afternoon

The London Fire Brigade confirmed no one was trapped or injured in the fire

A spokesman for the exclusive Hong Kong-based hotel chain told MailOnline: 'We are aware that there is a fire at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, and the fire brigade is at the hotel'

Thick black smoke was pictured above the hotel as dozens of guests were moved away from the danger. It is not yet known what caused the fire

One worker, who asked not to be named, said: 'The fire alarm started and everybody was told to get outside.

'Everything's fine but we don't know how it started yet.'

Jack, 19, a student told MailOnline: 'I came out of Knightbridge Station when I saw a huge amount of black smoke.

'The fire brigade have cordoned off the street and the customers from the surrounding shops have been evacuated.'

Jack Martin, a 21-year-old student from Peckham, said he was coming out of Knightsbridge station when he saw a 'huge billow of smoke'.

He said: 'I obviously was quite shocked when I saw all that smoke.

'But they were evacuating the building when I arrived, there were a fair amount of staff and guests and it was all fairly orderly.

'It was all quite calm and collected, there wasn't any hysteria and I thought it was well organised.'

He added: 'I would say the fire is under control now. I can't see any smoke, there are firefighters and the whole building is dripping wet right now.'

Tourist Eric Bantug spoke of his shock at seeing a historic building on fire.

The 47-year-old financial services worker visiting from Las Vegas, USA said: 'I was just coming up from the Tube and smelled the fire. I could smell burning.

'When I got up above ground I saw all the smoke coming out of the building. It's pretty old and it's a shame to see it happen.'

Penelope Evans, 50, from Battersea, south London, was shopping in Harrods when she noticed the thick smoke as she was leaving.

Fire crews are pictured with police men and women in Knightsbridge as they dealt with the blaze

As many as 20 fire engines (one pictured) were scrambled to the scene this afternoon

'I saw all this black smoke coming from the sky, it was covering everything and the smell was horrendous.

'It was like people were in shock, everyone immediately just started leaving the street and the area.

'There were hundreds of fire engines, ambulances, police racing by and helicopters overhead.

'After Grenfell, I feel like people are a lot more on edge about these things, people just wanted to get out.'

A local businesswoman, who did not want to be named, said: 'The fire was in the middle of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

'There was a lot of smoke. I couldn't see anyone being evacuated but they had closed off the whole road.

'It's quite a lot of smoke, you could smell it.

'I could see a lot of fire engines and police cars and some ambulances as well.'

Eyewitnesses posted videos of the flames on social media showing the large column of smoke rising from the top of the building and people in nearby Hyde Park turning their heads towards the sky.

One user called Arthur said: 'Looks really bad. Prayers to those inside.'

While another, Penelope Evans tweeted: 'My wishes to anyone is are hurt or effected by this.'

'The fire brigade have corned off the street and the customers from the surrounding shops have been evacuated.

'There's quite a lot of debris on the street. I can still see a little hue of red from the roof.

'I didn't see anyone seem to be in too much distress - it's under control now, I hope.'

The last fire known at the hotel was 119 years ago in 1899 when flames engulfed the top three floors.

The blaze was so destructive that the hotel was not re-opened until 1902 after a gruelling renovation.

Celebrity Chef Heston Blumenthal opened his first London restaurant, Dinner, at the hotel in January 2011.

The 5-Star £600-a-night hotel contains chef Heston Blumenthal's flagship restaurant Dinner

The hotel prides itself on offering 'luxurious rooms and suites, fine dining, private spa, meeting and wedding facilities'

The critically-acclaimed 140-seat restaurant features a menu which dates back to the 16th century in a room that offers floor-to-ceiling plate glass windows offering views over Hyde Park.

Those seeking privacy can opt for a private dining room for up to 10 people, while those looking for the action of the kitchen can book the chef's table.

During the refurbishment, the façade of the hotel was covered by a collage of 100 of the famous people who are regulars at the hotel. The artwork has been completed by Sir Peter Blake, who created the legendary artwork for The Beatles Sgt Pepper's album.

Among those featured are Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Christian Louboutin, Whoopi Goldberg and Dame Maggie Smith.

The artwork was the size of 38 double decker buses.

Throughout its history, the hotel has been a regular haunt of the Royal family, with Queen Mary attending several balls there, along with Edward VIII.

Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret first learned to dance at the hotel, while Prince Philip used the venue to host cocktail parties.

The great ballroom was the venue for Margaret Thatcher's 80th birthday.

The hotel was originally built as a Gentleman's Club in 1889, however, the top three floors of the building was destroyed in a fire that same year.