TEHRAN, July 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Smoke billowed over northern Tehran on Monday, AFP journalists witnessed, after a building adjacent to the capital's Hotel Esteghlal caught fire.

Thick black and white columns of smoke engulfed the towering hotel on Monday, while flames in the nearby building were visible from surrounding rooftops.

According to a state television correspondent at the site, "guests inside the hotel were being evacuated to ensure their safety".

There were no immediate reports of casualties, and it was not immediately clear what kind of building the fire erupted in.

Footage on state television showed firetrucks on site, as onlookers watched efforts to bring the fire under control.

Fires are common in Iran, especially during the hotter months, and mostly erupt in older buildings due to technical failures.

According to state news agency IRNA, the hotel, formerly the Royal Hilton, was built in the 1960s.