(London) Firefighters were working Saturday to “extinguish the last remaining flames” of a fire on the roof of Somerset House, an arts centre in central London, which has closed its doors and has not reported any injuries so far.
Some 25 fire engines and around 125 firefighters were mobilised to tackle the blaze, the London Fire Brigade said on X.
Earlier in the afternoon, the London art centre had indicated on the same network that the building had closed its doors while the firefighters intervened, and that “all staff and the public are safe”.
Videos posted on social media showed a thick cloud of smoke billowing from the roof of the museum, a historic building dating from 1796 located on the banks of the River Thames.
“Two 32-metre ladders were sent to the scene to support the operations,” said the firefighters, who say they received the first alert around 12 noon (7 a.m. Eastern time).
“The cause of the fire is not yet known,” and traffic around the center will be “disrupted” during the intervention, they warned.
PHOTO POL ALLINGHAM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Firefighters outside Somerset House
Somerset House charity director Jonathan Reekie told the PA news agency that the fire started in the west wing of the building, which is mainly offices and does not house “any artwork”.
“Somerset House is currently closed due to a fire in a small part of the building. All staff and members of the public are safe,” the centre said on X.
“The London Fire Brigade arrived quickly and we are working closely with them to control the spread of the fire,” he added.
Somerset House charity director Jonathan Reekie told the PA news agency that the fire started in the west wing of the building, which is mainly offices and does not house “any artwork”.
In the north wing of the centre, the Courtauld Gallery contains a collection of famous paintings by Vincent Van Gogh – the 1889 self-portrait with bandaged ear – Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne.
The building, whose courtyard houses an ice rink in winter, has been made famous by several films that were filmed there, such as Love Actually (2003), two James Bond films and Sleepy Hollow by Tim Burton (1999).
It was due to host a breaking event called “London Battle” on Saturday.