Somerset House: Blaze could have been 'complete disaster' if not caught early, director says

The fire at Somerset House could have been “a complete disaster” on the scale of the Notre Dame blaze if it had not been spotted so early, the arts venue’s director has said.

Jonathan Reekie warned reconstruction work could take years, after some 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were needed to tackle the blaze on August 17. No one was injured.

Somerset House began a phased reopening on Saturday, with the fashion exhibition The Lore of Loverboy and open-air voguing show The Mighty Crown Ball.

Mr Reekie thanked “really quick-thinking staff” and the “amazing” response of London Fire Brigade.

He said: “I think I can say that if that fire hadn’t been spotted and tackled as quickly as it was by the extraordinary emergency services, this could have been a complete disaster.

“Very luckily, it didn’t become a kind of Notre Dame."

A fire engulfed the historic cathedral in Paris in 2019, toppling its spire and destroying most of its roof.

London Fire Brigade’s operation onsite has ended but it continues to investigate the cause of the fire, Somerset House said.

Priceless artwork held in the site’s Courtauld Gallery, including works by Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne, was “unaffected” by the blaze.

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“We focused on how to get the building back on its feet, how to get people back into the building,” Mr Reekie said.

“I think in terms of the majority of what we do, we’re talking about a few more days.

“Of course the reconstruction will be months, if not years.”

Arts minister Sir Chris Bryant previously said the Government was liaising with the venue to “understand the impact and damage” caused by the fire.

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