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London Fire Brigade has now contained a fire at a house in Somerset, but a fire was reported around noon today. The BBC website said that around 125 firefighters were sent to the scene today to put out the fire. The fire department is currently working to put out the last embers on the roof of the building.
The fire broke out on the west side of the building at noon, and a Somerset County news release said the area would be closed until later in the day. No artwork was contained in the section of the building that caught fire. No one was injured at the time of the fire, but the cause of the fire is still unknown and the matter is under investigation.
Thick grey smoke could be seen billowing from houses, the River Thames and over Waterloo Bridge.
London Assistant Fire Chief Keely Foster said today that the response by firefighters was complex and technical and they would remain at the scene until tomorrow. Chiefs in Somerset said it was too early to say what the condition of the building was but that it would be closed until further notice.
The public was asked to stay away from the scene today due to thick smoke, and residents near the building were advised to close doors and windows. BBC News.
Culture Minister Chris Bryand said he hoped the building would be able to reopen as soon as possible and that the department was in touch with those responsible for the building.
Somerset House is located on the Strand in central London and is now used as an art gallery. The building houses the Courtauld Gallery, which has an extensive collection of paintings from the Renaissance to the 20th century. The building houses famous works such as Edouard Manet’s “Bar at the Folie-Bergère” and Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait with a bandaged ear.
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