A fire at Somerset House in downtown London is being battled by over 100 firefighters.

At 11:59 a.m. on Saturday, the London brigade received a report about a pillar of smoke that was observed rising from the roof of the historic stately residence on the Strand.

London fire brigade said 15 fire engines had been deployed to put out the fire.

It added that “around 100” firefighters were on the scene, with crews from Soho, Dowgate, Islington and surrounding fire stations attending.

A brigade spokesperson said: “Crews are tackling flames located in part of the buildings roof. Two of the Brigade’s 32m ladders have been sent to the scene to support firefighting operations.

“The entire site at Somerset House is now closed to the public whilst we tackle the fire,” the spokesperson added. “Traffic in the surrounding area will be impacted as crews respond.”

The cause of the fire is not yet known.