The fire department that doused the flames in Windsor Castle said Monday it doesn't know what started the blaze, but several newspapers were blaming an art restorer.
Heritage Secretary Peter Brooke was reporting to the House of Commons Monday on the fire and was expected to face questions from lawmakers, some of whom feel Queen Elizabeth II should pay for some or all of the repairs.The fire that began Friday destroyed St. George's Hall and other rooms at the northwest corner of the hilltop castle 20 miles west of London.
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it has not established the cause of the fir, and dismissed Monday's newspaper reports as speculation.
The Daily Telegraph and The Independent said investigators were pursuing a theory that the fire was started by an art restorer who accidentally ignited chemicals with a lamp. Five tabloid newspapers reported that investigators already had reached that conclusion.
Brooke indicated Saturday that the government would pay to repair the castle - work that is estimated to run in the tens of millions of dollars.
"I find it inconceivable that Mr. Brooke should have walked straight in, before he even knows how much public money could be involved, and say he will restore Windsor Castle to its former glory," Labor Party lawmaker Tony Banks said.
But Conservative lawmaker Michael Trend, who represents Windsor, said such critics were making "political mischief" out of the fire.