Around 3,700 people were forced to leave the British Museum after a fire alarm was triggered by an overheating light, disrupting visitors who had queued for hours to see the Bayeux Tapestry
Thousands of visitors queuing to view the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum in London were left disappointed after the major attraction was evacuated.
According to the London Fire Brigade, the incident involved a suspected fire following reports of smoke at approximately 7.27pm this evening (September 18).
The smoke originated in one of the galleries, not thought to house the Bayeux Tapestry, but it triggered fire alarms and led to the site being cleared.
The London Fire Brigade believe the smoke came from an “overheating light” as nearly 3,700 people were required to leave. The all-clear was issued an hour later once fire crews had examined the building.
A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “Crews carried out a systematic search of the building to identify the source of the smoke, which is believed to have been caused by an overheating light,” reports the Daily Star.
“Around 3,700 people evacuated the building before firefighters arrived. The incident was over for firefighters at 7.27pm, when responsibility for the site was handed back to the building’s management team.”
Numerous visitors reportedly queued for two hours to gain entry to the British Museum today, with the Bayeux Tapestry drawing larger-than-usual crowds.
Many turned to social media to express their frustration at the unfortunate incident. One visitor wrote: “Hope everyone’s ok [at the] British Museum after the evacuation for a fire alarm. Disappointing for those of us who spent an hour and forty minutes after our ticketed time queuing to see the Bayeux Tapestry to reach it, and then were told to leave”.
Another frustrated visitor added: “1.5hrs in a queue and now just evacuated from Bayeux Tapestry and British Museum. So upset!”.
A third recounted: “I was at the British Museum when they started shouting ‘Emergency!’ and ‘Fire!’ and hustled us all outside!”
