Rembrandt and Picasso Art works Destroyed by Alley’s Fire
The event was likely caused by someone lighting a fire for warmth in the alley behind the building
In the city of Seattle, in the night between 16 and 17 February, a fire started from the outside of the building that houses an art gallery (Davidson Galleries), specialised artworks on paper, damaged more than 100 works of art, including works by Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso.
At around 6:30 a.m., the Seattle Fire Department received calls about a fire at a commercial building. They worked to extinguish the flames, and the fire was under control by 8 a.m. The event was likely caused by someone lighting a fire for warmth in the alley behind the building and it spread to the adjoining building, that suffered damages too.
Some of the pieces suffered smoke damage while others, protected by covers or hidden in drawers, were less damaged by smoke.the firefighters were very careful in using water to put out the fire only where it was strictly necessary. They also carried out the initial safety and removal activities of the precious assets. The press, quoting the director of the gallery, reported that around 16,000 art objects were kept in the gallery at the time of the fire, of which at least a hundred were damaged, including two etchings by Picasso and Rembrandt.
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