Courtauld Gallery fire: no damaged artworks but causes unknown
On 17 August 2024, a fire broke out in part of the roof of the Somerset House building (London, UK) which houses the Courtald Gallery.
The Somerset House was built around 1547, while the current buildings were begun around 1776. The Courtauld Institute and Gallery, reopened in November 2021 after a four-year renovation, occupies the north wing of Somerset House. It houses works by Italian, Flemish and French painters, including Botticelli, Brueghel and Van Gogh.
On August 17th, around 125 firefighters and 15 fire engines battled the blaze, which broke out at around midday in the historic building. The age and design of the building made it more difficult for rescue teams to deal with fires than in newer buildings. Four Fire Brigade’s aerial ladders, among which the 64-meter, were deployed to support the firefighters in the extinguishing and safety operations of the building proved to be very important for the extinguishing operations. It is important to note that, as frequently happens in fires that affect the roofs of historic buildings, firefighters had to create a cut in the roof to block the spread of the fire in the attic.
As for the artworks, it was explained from the very first moments that the wing affected by the fire did not house paintings, but only offices and service spaces. The smoke and flames from the top of the historic building were seen around midday from the areas around the building. The firefighters worked all day to put out the last pockets of flame. The fire, have never threatened the people who were in the area of the fire.
At the time of writing this post, the causes of the fire have not been identified or made known.
