A small grease fire broke out in the kitchen of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at about 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, bringing firefighters to the scene but not causing any major damage or injuries.
Security guards quickly responded to the fire as they led the evacuation of all patrons and staff from the museum.
Following the evacuation of the building, the Philadelphia Fire Department arrived at the scene. The firemen extinguished what remained of the grease fire in the kitchen and then proceeded to thoroughly inspect the entire museum.
The building remained evacuated for about an hour and a half, reopening between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m., according to PMA employee Ellen Bonett. The fire was confined to the kitchen area and did not spread to any other sections of the museum, and, according to one Philadelphia firefighter, "there was no damage to any of the artwork."
However, due to the fire, all food services including the cafeteria and museum restaurant were closed for the remainder of the day.
PMA Director Anne d'Harnoncourt praised the fire department for its quick response and overall "terrific performance."
She would not comment on the specifics of the building's fire and emergency alert system, noting only that in this incident, "the most important system [for detecting the fire] was the human one."
Once the museum reopened, patrons were eager to return to the museum to view the special exhibit, "Degas and the Dance," which was sold-out for the day.
"We've got the hottest ticket in town -- and today proved it," PMA docent Sheldon Weintraub said.
Staff members and visitors said that overall, the fire did not cause too much disruption. The majority of patrons who were evacuated waited outside. Some patrons even took the opportunity to catch up on their rest, like Alan Levine, a New Jersey resident who said that he "fell asleep for an hour in the shade." Levine observed that no one seemed to be particularly annoyed by the delay, saying that the evacuated spent the time "milling around like cattle" outside.
PMA employee Caitlin Bright reflected on the incident as "pseudo-humorous" in that there was a certain "excitement of something unconventional happening."
