THE fire at the Randolph hotel brought the city centre to a standstill on Friday afternoon.

As people tried to make their way home, there was confusion as bus services were delayed and diverted.

Magdalen Street, where several city bus services stop, was closed from the junction with St Giles to George Street as police set up a cordon around the scene at Beaumont Street.

Friars Entry, which runs between Magdalen Street and Gloucester Street, was also shut.

The fire forced diners at the White Rabbit pub, in Friars Entry, to eat outside.

At the height of the fire, the cordon was pushed as far as Broad Street and the whole of Beaumont Street.

People who parked their bikes and cars inside the zone were allowed to collect their vehicles with careful supervision.

Oxford Bus Company’s Park&Ride 500, 300, City 2 and 6 services were diverted from St Giles Fair via Broad Street.

Spokesman Phil Ashworth said the company had an advisor at the scene to help passengers to get to their buses.

Stagecoach also diverted its S2 and S5 services on the St Giles Fair diversion and was picking up passengers in Broad Street.

But the performance of Arcadia at Oxford Playhouse went ahead as guests accessed the sold-out show from the Gloucester Green side of the building.