Residents staying at the Bell Hotel in Essex have been evacuated from the site, Epping Forest District Council has said.
The building was used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers, including small boat migrant Hadush Kebatu who was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman in separate incidents.
The 41-year-old sex offender's conviction triggered a wave of furious protests outside the taxpayer-funded accommodation used to house migrants last summer.
Today, a spokesman for the council confirmed only security staff remained on site while it sought further clarification from the Home Office.
Shabana Mahmood's department confirmed residents were evacuated, citing fire safety concerns.
The Government spokesman added that it was a precautionary measure and reiterated that it took the safety of service users and staff seriously.
An Epping council spokesman said, although they had "ongoing engagement" with Whitehall, they were unaware "in advance that this was going to happen".
They added: "We are seeking clarification from the Home Office on the details of what has happened and what their next steps will be."
The Bell Hotel is used to house migrants
|PA
Last year, Kebatu, who was one of the migrants housed in the Essex accommodation, was charged and convicted of sexually assaulting the teenager.
Kebatu was found guilty of a total of five offences and subsequently jailed.
The Ethiopian migrant was then released in error from HMP Chelmsford last October, sparking a nationwide manhunt for several days before he was re-arrested in Finsbury Park in north London.
In a statement about the evacuation, Epping Forest District Council said: "Despite ongoing engagement with the Home Office, we did not know in advance that this was going to happen.
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Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from prison last year
| PA“We are seeking clarification from the Home Office on the details of what has happened and what their next steps will be."
The local MP has repeatedly requested the urgent closure of the Bell Hotel while Labour has persistently vowed to close every asylum hotel across the UK by 2029.
Earlier this year, the Home Office boasted the closure of 11 hotels while ferrying hundreds of migrants to the Crowborough migrant camp.
MP for Epping Forest Dr Neil Hudson met today with the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, to discuss the matter impacting the safety and cohesion of his local constituents.
Following the discussion, Dr Hudson MP said: "I am grateful to the Minister for meeting with me again, and for the opportunity to reiterate the concerns of both myself and the Epping Forest community.
"I made clear once more that the Government must listen and bring the use of the Bell Hotel for asylum accommodation to an end without delay."
Refusing to comment on The Bell Hotel, the Home Office said: "The Government is removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain. We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites.
"The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35 per cent in the last year and by 63 per cent from the peak under the previous government."