Fire At The Museum

A potentially devastating fire was prevented last night at the department of Earth Sciences.

A total of four crews from the Cambridge area, including a hazardous materials unit, rushed to the department of Earth Sciences on the Downing Site after receiving the call. The department houses chemicals that could have had a devastating effect if ignited.

Fortunately, firefighters arrived before the fire could spread and no chemicals were set alight. The fire originated in a first-floor light fitting.

“This could have been much worse with the museum above and all the fossils,” Gary Mitchely, Cambridge station commander, told Cambridge News.

The building also houses the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, which contains over one million items, including dinosaur fossils and minerals brought back by Charles Darwin from the expedition on The Beagle.

Mitchely said: “Due to the historical nature of the building the fire service took this very seriously with a large number of firefighters attending the scene. We managed to get on scene very quickly.”

Two people who breathed in smoke during the fire were taken to hospital by ambulance.