LONDON — (AP) — Priceless paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and others were safe after firefighters worked to douse a fire Saturday at Somerset House, a large central London arts venue.
Heavy smoke and flames seen coming from the roof around noon had been knocked down by firefighters who poured water on it from buckets on ladder trucks. It appeared from video footage that the fire had left holes in the roof of the building located next to the River Thames.
The cause of the fire was not yet known, the London Fire Brigade said.
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 …