25 Years of Museum Fires

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF MUSEUM FIRES
OF LOSS OVER US$ 1M WITH CAUSE, PROTECTION AFFORDED
AND LESSONS TO LEARN

• June 2, 1994: Fire at Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. Loss of 10% of the collection and collection records. Origin was workmen welding gutters on the exterior igniting an interior hollow space. Detectors in the museum, but no detectors in the hollow space, no sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 2 million. Reopen in one year.
  
• April 19, 1993: Fire at the Yuma Arizona Art Center in Yuma, Arizona, USA. Loss of historic building and 39 fine art pieces with some smoke and water damage. Suspected origin was electrical. Loss estimated at US$ 1.5 million. Smoke detectors no sprinklers. Reopening under consideration in 1# years.
  
• August 9, 1993: Fire at the Oakland Museum in Oakland, California, USA. Loss of gallery and some exhibits on loan. Origin was defective exhibit motor in storage room. Loss estimated at US$ 1 million. Detectors but no sprinklers. Reopen the area in one year.
  
• November 20, 1992: Fire at Windsor Castle in London, ENGLAND. Loss of a tower, several rooms, tapestries, and minor paintings. Suspected origin was blow torch. No detectors or sprinkers. Loss estimated at US$ 90 million. Area will be usable again possibly in five years.
  
• November 26, 1992: Fire at the Hofburg Royal Apartments in Vienna, AUSTRIA. Loss of several rooms on the top floor, roof, and water damage below. Suspected origin was a something left from a late night dinner event. No detectors or sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 60 million. Entire area will be usable again in three years.
  
• May 11, 1988: Fire at the Cabildo building of the Lousiana Museum of Art in New Orleans, USA. Loss of furniture collections in the attic, roof, structural and water damage. Origin was workmen welding gutters on the exterior igniting an interior hollow space. Detectors in the museum, but no detectors in the hollow space, no sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 5 million. Museum will reopen in six years.
  
• February 14, 1988: Fire at the Soviet Academy of Science Library in Leningrad, USSR, the second largest scientific library in the nation. Loss of the building, 400,000 volumes destroyed, and that many more water damaged. Suspected origin was electrical. No detectors or sprinklers. No value given. Reopened nine years later.
  
• March 31, 1986: Fire at Hampton Court Apartments, London, ENGLAND. Loss of one life (a resident), upper floors, roof, two paintings, and period furniture. Origin was personal use of a candle. Loss estimated at US$ 6 million. No detectors or sprinklers. Rebuilt in five years.
  
• April 29, 1985 and March 3, 1986: Arson at the Los Angeles Public Library, California, USA. Loss of the building interior, roof, and 70% of the collection. Arsonist was an employee. Detectors but no sprinklers in the open stacks. Loss estimated at US$ 22 million and US$ 2 million. Library reopened to the public seven years later.
  
• December 24, 1985: Fire at the Jenkins Publishing Company, Austin, Texas, USA. Loss of warehouse and thousands of historic books. Origin was defective electrical wiring. Loss estimated at US$ 9 million. Detectors but no sprinklers. Not rebuilt.
  
• October 17, 1985: Fire at the Huntington Gallery in San Marino, California, USA. Loss of elevator and elevator shaft, one minor painting, and extensive smoke damage. Suspected origin was an electrical on the elevator at night, which burst explosively into the first floor. Smoke detectors in the museum but not in the elevator or elevator shaft. No sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 1.5 million. Museum reopened one year later.
  
• December 31, 1984: Fire at the Byer Museum of Art in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Loss of the upper two floors and roof, with extensive water damage. Suspected electrical origin. Loss estimated at US$ 3 million. Detectors but no sprinklers. Not reopened to the public.
  
• July 8, 1978: Fire at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, BRASIL. Loss of most of the interior, the roof, and 900 works of art (90% of the collection). Suspected origin from smoking or defective wiring. Loss estimated at $US 50 million. No detectors and no sprinklers. Reopened to the public fourteen years later.
  
• February 22, 1978: Arson at the San Diego Aerospace Museum and the Internatinal Aerospace Hall of Fame, San Diego, California, USA. Loss of the building and entire collection, including 40 planes and library. Arsonists were two youths seen running away. Loss estimated at US$ 16 million. No detectors, no sprinklers. Not reopened to the public.
  
• February 22, 1977: Fire at the University of Toronto Engineering Library, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA. Loss of the building and 12,000 volumes with four times that damaged by fire and water. Origin is unknown. Loss estimated at US$ 6 million. Partial detectors, no sprinklers. Reopened for use six years later.
  
• July 28, 1972: Fire at the Temple University Law Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Loss of the building and partial loss of the library collection. Origin was electrical in an office area. Loss estimated at US$ 1.7 million. Reopened elsewhere in one year.
  
• September 30, 1970: Fire at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., USA. Loss of two galleries and their exhibits, with some water damage. Origin was electrical short in the exhibit. Detectors but no sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 1 million. Area was reopened three years later.
  
• August 9, 1970: Fire at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. Loss of several historic displays of shops and equipment. Origin suspected to be an overheated hair curling iron in a dressing room. Loss estimated at US$ 2 million. Detectors but no sprinklers on part of the building. Historic areas are not reopened to the public.
  
• April , 1966: Fire at the Jewish Theological Seminary Library, New York City, USA. Loss of top three floors of open stacks, roof, 70,000 volumes and twice that damaged. Arson is suspected. No detectors and no sprinklers. Loss estimated at US$ 8.2 million. Reopened for use seven years later.
  
• April 15, 1958: Fire at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, USA. Loss of one life, 33 injuries, several galleries, two major paintings, including a Monet, seven paintings severely damaged. Origin was workmen repainting second floor galleries who were smoking on the job. Loss estimated at US$ 700,000. Detectors but no sprinklers. Museum area was reopened three years later.
  

# CAUSES: poor housekeeping\cleaning, arson, electrical, heating, cooking, workmen with torches, caterers, smoking, lighting, audiovisuals.

# CONSEQUENCES: total loss of institution, extended closing to the public, major loss of capital,loss of collection use for further exhibiting and research, total loss of burned objects, building shutdown for damage and smoke, decline in confidence in the institution and its management, decline in donations, notoriety from the public, probable insurance rate hike, loss of operations, shows and research, possible decline in the ability to obtain loans from other institutions.

Source: http://www.museum-security.org/listtext2.html

Accessed Date: 30/04/08