Seventy firefighters and ten fire engines were called to a fire at Blythe House, a historic listed building in west London, on the morning of May 10, 2026. The London Fire Brigade received reports of a blaze in a vacant museum storage room at 11.35am.
Fire Details
The fire affected a small portion of the second floor of the six-storey building, which is Grade II listed. Blythe House has previously served as storage and archive space for the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, and the British Museum. Fortunately, the storage room was empty, and no artefacts were at risk.
Emergency Response
Fire crews from Hammersmith, Kensington, North Kensington, Paddington, Fulham, Chelsea, and surrounding stations attended the scene. The fire was brought under control by 1.55pm. A 32-metre turntable ladder was used as an observation platform to assist incident commanders.
Station Commander Josh Faulkner stated: 'Firefighters worked tirelessly to tackle the blaze safely. Fortunately, the storage room was empty and no artefacts were at risk.'
Building History
Blythe House, located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, was originally built as the headquarters of the Post Office Savings Bank. It later became a storage and archive site for major national museums. The building has also been used as a filming location for ITV drama The Halcyon and Netflix series The Crown.
No injuries were reported. Firefighters remain at the scene to damp down hotspots. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
