A fire broke out at the Aalto House (1935-36) museum site on Wednesday afternoon. However, thanks to prompt action by those at the scene, the fire was quickly brought under control and no-one was injured. The building, which is of great architectural and cultural historical value, was spared major damage. Its interior was not affected by the fire.

The fire started during the ongoing renovation of the building’s roof. During the melting of the bitumen used in the replacement of the roofing felt, fire spread to the roofing structure due to strong winds. Several fire and rescue units were called to the scene and rapidly brought the fire under control. No water was needed to extinguish the blaze. Instead, firefighters smothered the smouldering spot fires after dismantling some structures. The interior of the building was completely spared.

“The weather conditions on site were unusually challenging due to strong winds, but fortunately we escaped with just a scare,” says Tommi Lindh, CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation, with relief. “The building’s cultural and historical value was not endangered. The Aalto House is among the sites nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is significant in terms of the architect’s entire career and personal history,” says Lindh.

The fire will not have a major impact on the roof repair work, which continues according to plan on Thursday. The Aalto House is a public museum site that can be explored on guided tours throughout the year. According to current information, the museum will remain closed to the public until the weekend.

The Aalto House was completed in 1936 as the family home of the architects Aino and Alvar Aalto. The building also housed Aalto’s architectural office until the 1950s.

Further information:
Alvar Aalto Foundation
CEO Tommi Lindh
tel. +358 44 562 1625
tommi.lindh@alvaraalto.fi