Historic 19th Century Ship Ablazed In London
MIL/Cutty Sark, May 21, 2007.
London, May 21, 2007 - The Cutty Sark, a 19th century sailing ship, which was docked in southeast London as a tourist attraction, was overwhelmed by strong flames on Monday morning. As per Britain’s Sky News, the vessel was 100 percent ablaze and eight fire trucks were fighting the flames. Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation on his way to Greenwich, where the Cutty Sark is docked, the Chief Executive of the Cutty Sark Trust said, "we're losing history itself."
Richard Doughty expressed the most concern over the quantities of original fabric aboard the ship, which has been closed to the public for months during a $50 million renovation. It was due to be reopened in 2009.
"When you lose original fabric, you lose the touch of the craftsman, you lose history itself," he said.
About 50 percent of the material from aboard the ship was safely stored off-site Monday for the renovation work, according to reports on British media.
Fire officer Ian Allchin told the BBC that the fire had been brought under control, but it was "quite a well-developed fire when we arrived", and there was extensive damage.
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