Moment of shock at the Musem für Moderne Kunst: On Monday, a fire broke out in the elevator machine room on the roof of the museum at around 11:45 am. Fortunately, it took only a few minutes for the Frankfurt Fire Department to arrive on the scene with about 15 vehicles and 60 emergency personnel. While the employees of the museum, which was closed to the public as usual on Monday, were evacuated, the fire brigade quickly managed to bring the local source of the fire under control. As a result, the all-clear was quickly given: Neither people nor the artworks were harmed.
Cultural Affairs Director Ina Hartwig got a personal impression of the scene of the accident on site: "I am very relieved that all the museum's employees are well. We are fortunate that the fire broke out on a Monday and that no works were apparently damaged by the change of exhibition. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the quick and professional action of the emergency services."
A fortunate circumstance was not only that there were no visitors and fewer supervisory personnel than usual in the building. The fact that only a few artworks were on display in the exhibition rooms due to a recent exhibition change also certainly helped the dicey situation end so smoothly in the end. Some of the works by "On Kawara", which are located on the third floor, were taken to safety by the museum staff as a precaution. According to current information, the museum depot, which is housed in the basement, has not been affected by the fire.
Museum Director Susanne Pfeffer said, "I am glad and very grateful that no one was harmed. All the staff are well up, all the artworks are safe. The fire in the machine room of the elevator on the roof could be extinguished. As far as we know at present, the exhibition rooms appear to be undamaged. My great thanks go to the emergency services of the fire brigade." We join in this thanks, of course!
