About 125 firefighters fight fire in the famous Somerset House in London (photo) | MAMUL.am

Priceless paintings by Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and others were brought to safety after firefighters began extinguishing a blaze at Somerset House, a major art center in central London, on Saturday.

By midday, heavy smoke and flames could be seen billowing from the roof, which was being pushed down by firefighters pouring water on it from buckets on turntable ladders. Video footage showed the fire had left holes in the roof of the building next to the Thames.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, the London Fire Service said.

Staff and visitors were safe and no artwork was in the fire area, a Somerset House official said.

“Around midday a fire was discovered in a corner of the West Wing, the site was immediately evacuated and the London Fire Brigade was called, who were on the scene very quickly,” said Jonathan Reekie, director of the Somerset House Trust. “The West Wing consists mainly of offices and back-of-house facilities, there are no works of art in this area.”

The venue was scheduled to host a breakdancing event to celebrate the sport's debut at the Paris Olympic Games, but the event was cancelled.

The fire broke out on the opposite side of the large complex from the Courtauld Gallery, which houses works such as Vincent Van Gogh's “Self-portrait with a bandaged ear” and Peter Paul Rubens' “The Descent from the Cross.”