Somerset House fire: Courtauld gallery to reopen on Sunday as London firefighters battle blaze

Michelle Birkby, a 50-year-old writer from London, told the PA news agency: “I was walking along the South Bank and could smell smoke, looked up and saw smoke coming out of the top of Somerset House.

“At first I assumed it was a barbecue in the courtyard, or some sort of event, but then I heard the fire engines, realised the smoke was billowing out of control and that Somerset House was on fire.”

Arts minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “I am sorry to hear about the fire at Somerset House, this historic building is home to some of London’s great galleries and creative spaces.

“I am very pleased that there are no casualties and hope that Somerset House can reopen to visitors as soon as possible.

“My department is in touch with Somerset House so we can understand the impact and damage caused.”

Fire crews will remain at Somerset House into Sunday and there are no reports of any injuries, London Fire Brigade’s assistant commissioner has said.

“A number of staff and visitors left Somerset House before the Brigade arrived and there are no reports of any injuries,” Keeley Foster told a press conference.

“Crews have been working incredibly hard through the very hot weather and heat of the fire to protect Somerset House from further damage.

“I’d like to thank all our firefighters for their work so far. Crews will remain on scene into tomorrow, carrying out further operations.

“Throughout the incident we’ve worked closely with the staff at Somerset House in order to coordinate our response. I’d also like to thank the Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service for their support through the afternoon.”

Parts of Somerset House will remain closed to the public “until further notice” but the Courtauld Gallery, containing pricless artworks, will reopen on Sunday, a spokesperson said.

Speaking to reporters outside the building, Somerset House Trust director Jonathan Reekie said: “It’s too early to comment on the building’s condition, but I think, thanks to the efforts of the emergency services, I am confident that the damage is to one small part of the building

“As the London Fire Brigade continue their investigations and operations, Somerset House will remain closed to the public until further notice, but I am happy to say that the Courtauld art gallery and institute will remain open from tomorrow.”

Keeley Foster, assistant commissioner at the London Fire Brigade, has said that the age and design of the building proved a challenge to fire crews as they initially responded.

“As a result, four of the brigades’ aerial ladders, including a 64-metre turntable ladder, were deployed to support firefighters as they carried out a complex and technical response.

“This included creating fire breaks in the roof, which has now limited the spread of flames.

“Crews are now working to extinguish the final pockets of fire.”

Dance troupes cheered loudly as firefighters returned their bags which had been left inside Somerset House.

Abisola Alli, 29, said she was rehearsing in a changing room with her dance group AfroQueens when they were told the building was being evacuated.

“Most of us left our stuff, some of us left our stuff, then we just went out to the courtyard – we were standing in the courtyard for a little bit, then it got quite serious because they were like, ‘you need to leave now’,” said Ms Alli.

“We ended up leaving then we’ve been outside since,” Ms Alli added, and said that smoke started to appear from the building around 30 to 45 minutes later.

“We just wanted to get our bags, to be honest, no stress though, because the sun was out so we just chilled in the park for a little bit,” she said. “We were worried our stuff would be affected. To be honest this stuff is replaceable but, you know, there’s nothing like having your stuff.”

The Courtauld Gallery, located in the north wing of Somerset House, is home to a collection of famous paintings including Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 self-portrait of himself with a bandaged ear. The gallery also houses works by Edouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne.

Somerset House Trust director Jonathan Reekie said the fire broke out in the west wing of the building, which is mainly comprised of offices and “back-of-house” facilities, and there are “no artworks in that area”.

Mr Reekie, who has been director of the trust for 10 years, said: “What I can confirm is that a fire was spotted at about midday in one corner of west wing, the site was immediately evacuated and the London Fire Brigade called, who arrived very quickly indeed.

“Everybody is safe and for now we want to let the London Fire Brigade get on and do their brilliant work.”

Fire crews have taken off their PPE but are still at work, and a fire engine was seen carefully driving through the narrow arches into the courtyard, the PA news agency reported just after 4:30pm.

Those reports came minutes after the London Fire Brigade said firefighters were continuing to work hard to bring the fire affecting part of the roof under control.

A breakdancing event due to be held at Somerset House has been cancelled due to the fire, staff who work in the building have said.

The London Battle was set to run from 2pm to 8.30pm, celebrating the sport’s Olympic debut in Paris.

The event was described on the Somerset House website as “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”.

In a new update issued minutes ago, London Fire Brigade said firefighters were continuing to work hard to bring the fire affecting part of the roof at Somerset House under control.