Blaze erupts at London’s historic Somerset House with over 100 firefighters at the scene
Aug 17, 2024, 9:44 AM
Smoke rises as firefighters work at the scene of a fire at Somerset House in London. ( Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
( Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
(CNN) — A blaze has broken out at London’s historic Somerset House with more than 100 firefighters at the scene working to contain it.
Smoke could be seen rising over central London from the building’s roof. Firefighters are working from a crane to fight the fire.
The building was once home to the Royal Navy but is now is used as a cultural centre. A gallery inside the complex houses Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait of himself with a bandaged ear.
Somerset House Trust director Jonathan Reekie told Britain’s PA Media that the fire broke out in the west wing of the building, where offices and back of house facilities are located. There are “no artworks in that area,” PA Media reported Reekie as saying.
Around 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines have been deployed to Somerset House, according to the London Fire Brigade.
The crews are fighting flames located in part of the building’s roof, the fire brigade said in a statement, with two of the brigade’s 32-meter (nearly 105 foot) ladders being used.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, the statement said, and Somerset House has been closed to the public whilst the fire is being tackled.
The complex was first built in the 1500s, though it was demolished and rebuilt in the 1700s.
The house gets its name from Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who built it as a palace for himself in 1547. The Duke was executed at the Tower in London a few years later, and ownership of his palace passed to the Crown.
In 1604, the Treaty of London was signed within the building, ending the 19-year Anglo-Spanish War. It later served as the headquarters for the parliamentary army during the English Civil War, and narrowly escaped burning in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Somerset House is now the host of creative events and exhibitions. It is home to the Cortauld Gallery, which counts works by Manet, Van Gogh, and Monet among those in its collection. Kings College London has its school of law in the complex’s east wing.
It has served as a versatile filming location and can be spotted in the backdrops of films and TV shows like ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Love Actually,’ and ‘X Men: First Class.’
On Saturday, it said a dance battle was supposed to be held in the building’s open air courtyard, with “a day of dance and breaking showcases, workshops, live DJs and a big outdoor party, all culminating in a head-to-head dance battle between the four corners of London.”
“All staff and public are safe and the site is closed,” Somerset House said in a statement on its website. “The London Fire Brigade arrived swiftly and we’re working very closely with them to control the spread of the fire,” it added.
