Posted on 05/20/2007 10:04:21 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
The preserved 19th-century ship the Cutty Sark is on fire, London Fire Brigade has confirmed. It is said to be 100% alight and eight fire engines are at the scene in Greenwich, south-east London.
Greenwich town centre is closed to traffic and the Docklands Light Railway will also close because of a police cordon, Scotland Yard said.
Local residents were also expected to be evacuated shortly.
The ship, one of the capital's best-loved tourist attractions, is currently closed to the public for extensive renovation work. It was due to reopen in 2009.
There are fears that gas cylinders that may be on board the ship because of the renovation work may explode.
London Fire Brigade said the Metropolitan Police received a call at 04:55am reporting an extensive fire on the 19th-century clipper.
The Clyde-built Cutty Sark was, in 1869, one of the last sailing clippers to be built.
She was destined for the tea trade, then an intensely competitive race across the globe from China to London, with immense profits to the ship to arrive with the first tea of the year.
Nah. It's Scotch for "short shirt".
I just got more information about this. Political vandalism is suspected, but many things were already removed including a collection of rare figureheads from scrapped ships which was on display below decks.
Lottery puts another £10m into Cutty Sark (Historic tall ship was damaged by fire last year)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.