(London) Around a hundred firefighters were battling a fire on the roof of Somerset House, an arts centre in the heart of London, on Saturday afternoon, which has closed its doors and has not reported any injuries at this stage.
“20 fire engines and around 125 firefighters are now battling the blaze at Somerset House. Our crews continue to work to bring the fire on the roof of the building under control,” the London Fire Brigade said on X.
Earlier, the London art centre had indicated on the same network that the building had closed its doors while the firefighters were working, 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.
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 movies and Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow” (1999). It was due to host a breakdancing event called “London Battle” on Saturday.