LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — A major fire has destroyed has caused significant damage London's historic theatre and arts venue Battersea Arts Centre.
According to London Fire Brigade, the fire affected the Grand Hall, which had been under refurbishment, and its roof. Firefighters managed to save half of art centre.
"Firefighters did a great job to save large parts of the building including the octagonal dome which I'm told is priceless and salvaged valuable art work. The centre are hopeful that they will be able to open unaffected areas of the building to the public today. We'll continue to damp down and our fire investigators are inspecting the building to find the cause," said London Fire Brigade Station Manager Matt Burrows.
"We are devastated by the speed and scale of this fire. The most important thing of course is that everyone got out of the building quickly and safely," David Jubb, the centre's artistic director and CEO told the Guardian. Jubb also expressed his gratitude for the support the Battersea has received from the community with more than £70,000 already donated.
Despite the damage to the building, some shows are still going on. According to the Guardian, the new Hourglass festival will get underway at the Arts Center on March 24th, followed by its Taking a Stand season on April 7th. – Staff Writers
