Blythe House Museum Storage Empty When Fire Broke Out
Over 70 firefighters tackle blaze at listed building in West Kensington
A fire engine on the scene. Picture: London Fire Brigade
May 11, 2026
A fire at Blythe House on Blythe Road in Kensington brought ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters to the scene late on Sunday (10 May) morning, after smoke was reported inside one of the former museum storage rooms. The London Fire Brigade said the blaze broke out at 11.35am in a small section of a vacant second-floor storage area within the six-storey Grade II-listed building. There were no injuries, and the fire was brought under control by 1.55pm.
Station Commander Josh Faulkner, who attended the incident, said firefighters “worked tirelessly” to contain the blaze and confirmed that the room involved was empty. “Fortunately, the storage room was vacant and no artefacts were at risk,” he said.
He added that a 32-metre turntable ladder was used as an observation platform to give incident commanders a clearer view of the developing situation and to refine tactics. Crews from Hammersmith, Kensington, North Kensington, Paddington, Fulham, Chelsea and surrounding stations responded. Firefighters remained on site throughout the afternoon damping down remaining hotspots.
Built between 1899 and 1903 as the headquarters of the Post Office Savings Bank, the vast Edwardian complex was at one point the UK’s most important museum storage centre. It has housed stored and archived collections for the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the British Museum. The government has been trying to sell the building for over a decade most of the collections of these museums has now been removed. It is not known which museums are still using the building for storage of items.
The London Fire Brigade continues to investigate the cause.
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