LONDON — Priceless works of art, including a Van Gogh painting, were undamaged and the entire public is “safe” after a fire ripped through the roof of London’s historic Somerset House.
The London Fire Brigade said 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were helping to tackle the fire in central London that broke out on Saturday.
In a social media post, the arts center said “all staff and visitors are safe” and the building has been closed.
Jonathan Reekie, director of the Somerset House Trust, said the fire started in the west wing of the building, which mainly contains offices and back-of-house facilities, and that there were “no works of art” in that area.
The Courtauld Gallery in the north wing houses a collection of famous paintings, including Vincent Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear from 1889.
Reekie, 59, has been a director of the trust for ten years and told the PA news agency: “What I can confirm is that a fire was discovered in a corner of the west wing around midday. The scene of the fire was immediately evacuated and the London Fire Brigade was called, who were on the scene very quickly.
“Everyone is safe and for now we want to let the London Fire Brigade do their excellent job.”
The gallery also houses works by Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne.
Professor Mark Hallett, Marit Rausing Director of the Courtauld, said: “The Courtauld, including our galleries and art collection, is unaffected by the fire.
“As a precautionary measure, we have closed the galleries for the rest of the day.”
London Ambulance urged people to avoid the area and asked local shops to keep their windows and doors closed.
A witness told PA that she noticed smoke “rising uncontrollably” as she walked past and initially thought the smell of smoke was coming from a barbecue.
Michelle Birkby, 50, who lives in London and works as a writer, said: ‘I was walking along the south bank of the riverbank, could smell smoke, looked up and saw smoke rising from the roof of Somerset House.
“At first I thought it was a barbecue in the courtyard or some kind of event, but then I heard the fire engines, I realised that the smoke was rising uncontrollably and that Somerset House was burning.”
Previous residents of the former mansion included Queen Elizabeth I, who lived there from the age of 20 before becoming queen in 1558, according to the Somerset House website.
The building is currently used as a venue for arts and events and was scheduled to host a breakdancing day on Saturday.
The London Battle was due to run from 2pm-8.30pm (1pm-7.30pm GMT) to mark the sport’s Olympic debut in Paris, but has now been cancelled, officials said.
The Somerset House website described the event as “a day of dance and breakdancing showcases, workshops, live DJs and a huge outdoor party, culminating in a head-to-head dance competition between the four corners of London.”
Fire safety officers in high-visibility vests escorted people from the venue with signs reading “Fire Assembly Point.”
At least five London Fire Brigade vehicles were stationed outside the arches of Somerset House on the Strand.
More fire engines could be seen in the courtyard, where thick smoke was visible.
The cause of the fire is unknown, the London Fire Service said.
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