Soldiers and workers scrambled to carry paintings and other priceless objects from Windsor Castle Friday after a stubborn blaze threatened historic works of art at the royal residence.
A private chapel was damaged and at least one person was injured in the fire, which authorities said was confined to a small portion of the sprawling castle undergoing renovation. Workmen said the flames in St. George's Hall and a surrounding portion of the castle spread furiously.Queen Elizabeth was not at Windsor when the fire broke out. Her middle son, Prince Andrew, was, but he had been far from the scene and was not hurt.
The queen later came to survey the damage.
Her reaction was "probably the same reaction as yours if you saw your home burning down. She appeared very upset," said Dickie Arbiter, assistant press officer at Buckingham Palace.
The queen is normally at Windsor most weekends, plus a full month at Easter and a week in June during the Royal Ascot horse races, the palace said.
David Palmer, a carpenter working in the palace, said he heard a call for help and grabbed a fire extinguisher.
"We went into St. George's Hall with the fire extinguishers, and we could see the fire was going to take hold any minute," Palmer said.
"It just burst through from the chapel area, and the lads working there carried out the paintings which had been moved off the walls."
Palmer said he could see smoke coming through the pipes of an organ that served both the hall and chapel.
Smoke was visible miles away from Windsor.