SOMERSET House has been closed “until further notice” as officials probe the cause of a fire at the London landmark.
Some 125 firefighters rushed to the scene as footage captured thick plumes of smoke billowing from the roof of the iconic building this afternoon.
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Twenty fire engines scrambled to the Strand to fight the blaze in part of the building’s roof which broke out at around midday.
Two of the London Fire Brigade’s 32m ladders were also sent to the scene.
Video showed firefighters blasting water from the top of one of the ladders onto the building’s roof.
Crew members remained at the scene around 6pm “working to extinguish the final pockets of fire”.
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A spokesperson for the landmark building this evening said an investigation into what caused the fire has been launched.
Somerset House is a vast Georgian building which houses the Courtauld Gallery, one of London’s great art collections.
The Courtauld boasts works by major artists including Vincent van Gogh.
Nobody is currently thought to be inside the Somerset House building and there are no reported injuries, Scotland Yard said.
Cops were called at 12.25pm and have joined firefighters at the building near Waterloo Bridge.
The LFB’s control room took the first of ten calls reporting the fire just before noon.
Crews have raced to the fire from as far afield as Soho in West End, Islington in north London and Dowgate in the City.
Traffic is building up on the roads around Somerset House, including the Strand.
In a statement, an LFB spokesperson said the cause of the fire is not yet known.
Somerset House said: “Owing to a fire in one small part of Somerset House, the site is currently closed.
“All staff and public are safe and the site is closed. The London Fire Brigade arrived swiftly.
“We’re working very closely with them to control the spread of the fire.
“London Battle and other events today will not take place. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
The Somerset House fountains have been turned off for the past few days to undergo works.
But the works on the fountain pumps are not currently thought to be related to the fire today.
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