Firefighters swarm the Science Museum

Just before noon last Wedensday, hundreds of visitors were evacuated from the Science Museum. As the visitors collected outside the museum on Exhibition Road, three firefighter squads arrived and created a perimeter around the historical building, amounting to a total of seven fire engines with aerial support from a helicopter.

The firefighters were responding to an automatic fire alarm that had somehow been triggered.

While the firefighters entered the museum looking for the source of the suspected fire, Museum staff entertained children with games, to prevent the young explorers’ investigative day from losing momentum. Some children were led to the neighbouring Latter Day Saints Church to keep them warm. Imperial College students appeared mesmerised by the red shiny fire engines. When it was verified that there was no fire, only an alarm malfunction, Imperial College security opened the Falmouth Gate onto Queen’s Gate to help the firefighter squads get out. The gate is only supposed to be opened for the Queen.

This is already the second time in 2017 that Exhibition Road gets packed with swarms of evacuated museum-goers. About a week earlier, visitors had to be evacuated due to a bomb threat directed at the neighbouring Victoria and Albert museum. The threat turned out to be a hoax.