(London) Artworks on display at central London’s Somerset House, which was hit by a roof fire on Saturday, were not damaged and the building will remain partially closed on Sunday to allow firefighters to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Some 25 trucks and around 125 firefighters were deployed Saturday afternoon to fight the blaze, which broke out around 12 p.m. (7 a.m. Eastern Time) on the roof of the 1796 building on the banks of the Thames.
The fire was contained around 7 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern Time) and did not cause any injuries to visitors or employees of the art center, who had all left the premises before firefighters responded, they said.
“The fire at Somerset House is now under control and investigations will begin to try to determine its cause,” they added on X.
Housed in the art center, the Courtauld Gallery, which exhibits works by Vincent Van Gogh – including his famous Self-portrait with bandaged ear from 1889 – Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne, “was not directly affected by the fire”.
Located in another wing of the building, it will be open to the public on Sunday, unlike the rest of the art center, “closed until further notice.”
“Following Saturday’s fire in part of Somerset House, our aim is to ensure that London Fire Brigade has the space they need to do their job,” Somerset House said on its website.
An event organized by a collective of South Asian artists on Sunday afternoon has been canceled.
The arts center was scheduled to host a breakdancing competition on Saturday when a large column of smoke began billowing from the roof of the building, whose age and configuration made initial response difficult for firefighters.
“Four brigade aerial ladders, including a 64-metre rotating ladder, were deployed to support the teams in this complex and technical intervention, and to enable the creation of firebreaks in the roof,” Assistant Commissioner Keeley Foster told journalists late Saturday afternoon.
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).