Fire breaks out at London site holding priceless works by Van Gogh, Cezanne

Priceless paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and others were unharmed on Saturday after firefighters doused a blaze that broke out in the roof of Somerset House, a large central London arts venue, officials said.

Heavy smoke and flames seen coming from the top of the historic building around noon had been knocked down by firefighters who poured water on it from buckets on ladder trucks.

Firefighters extinguished the final pockets of flames in the early evening and were expected to be on the scene until Sunday, said Keeley Foster, assistant commissioner of the London Fire Brigade.

“The age and design of the building proved a challenge to crews as they initially responded,” Foster said.

“The fire at #SomersetHouse is now under control and investigations into the cause will begin,” the London Fire Brigade posted on social media site X.

The complex and technical response required the use of a 63-metre (205-foot) ladder to reach the flames and fire breaks had to be created in the roof to limit the spread of flames.

Staff and the public were safe and artworks were not in the area of the fire, a Somerset House official said.

“A fire was spotted at about midday in one corner of the west wing, the site was immediately evacuated and the London Fire Brigade called, who arrived very quickly,” Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House Trust, said.

“The west wing is mainly offices and back-of-house facilities, there are no artworks in that area.”

The venue next to the River Thames had been scheduled to host a breakdancing event to celebrate the sport’s debut at the Paris Olympics that was cancelled.

The fire was on the opposite side of the large complex from The Courtauld Gallery that features works such as Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and The Descent From The Cross by Peter Paul Rubens.

The gallery is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, Reekie said.

The neoclassical building was reconstructed nearly 250 years ago after the original Somerset House was demolished after becoming neglected.

The original palace was built in 1547 by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who was later executed at the Tower of London.

Queen Elizabeth I lived in the palace as a princess for five years before ascending to the throne.

The courtyard of the grand building hosts music gigs in the summer and a popular ice rink in the winter, appearing in the 2003 film Love Actually.

It also appeared in the 2008 movie The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, as well as Tim Burton’s 1999 horror movie Sleepy Hollow and two James Bond films.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse