Firefighters battle blaze at historic Paris mansion

Firefighters have brought a blaze in a historic Paris mansion after a six-hour battle with the flames. But they feared damage to artworks, including frescoes by 17th-century master Charles Le Brun, in the Hôtel Lambert, bought by a Qatari prince in 2007.

Reuters/Charles Platiau

About 140 firefighters arrived on the scene at 1.30am but were unable to stop the fire until about 7.30am. One of them was slightly injured.

The fire spread quickly because the building was empty and being renovated, firefighters said.

Residents report a “red halo” around the Ile Saint-Louis in the river Seine as nearby buildings, part of a World Heritage site, were evacuated of about a dozen residents.

The historic mansion was designed by Louis Le Vau, whose best-known work was the Château of Vaux le Vicomte which is credited with inspiring Louis XIV to build the Château of Versailles.

Artworks in the ancient monument, including works by Le Brun who decorated parts of Versailles, may have been damaged by flames, smoke or the water used to put out the blaze.

The purchase of the Hôtel Lamberet by Qatari Prince Abdullah Bin Abdullah Al-Thahi, the brother of the Qatari emir, in 2007 sparked controversy when he announced plans to renovate that included the installation of a vehicle lift.

Built in the 1640s, the Hôtel Lambert is on the eastern tip of the Ile Saint-Louis, the island next to Ile de la Cité on which the Notre Dame cathedral stants.

It was designed by Louis Le Vau, who went on to become King Louis XIV’s principal architect, for wealthy financier Nicolas Lambert.

During the 18th century it belonged to Florent Claude, marquis du Châtelet, whose wife, Gabrielle Émilie de Breteuil, had a 15-year affair with the philosopher Voltaire.

In the 19th century it served as a political base for Polish exiles.

In 1862 it was declared a historical monument.

After World War II it belonged to Chilean “Guano king” Arturo Lopez-Willshaw and was later bought by the Rothschild banking family, who sold it to the Qatari emir’s brother, Prince Abdullah Bin Abdullah Al-Thahi.

A court initially blocked his plans to modernise it after heritage campaigners claimed they might damage a cultural treasure.

In 2010 Al-Tahi signed an agreement with the Paris Historique group, following government-supervised negotiations, and legal proceedings were dropped.