Hundreds of people are evacuated from Science Museum after fire alert
- Crews were called after a 'burnt out motor' caused smoke to fill part of building
- Science Museum staff evacuated the central London venue at about 4pm
- The motor was in an area not open to the public and staff and customers were unaffected by the smoke
Hundreds of visitors to the Science Museum were taken to safety after the major attraction was evacuated.
Firefighters were at the scene in Kensington, west London after a 'burnt out motor' caused smoke to fill part of the building at around 4pm today.
A spokesman for the museum said the motor was in an area not open to the public.
Hundreds of visitors to the Science Museum have been taken to safety after it was evacuated (stock image)
Museum staff sent out a warning post advising that the venue had been evacuated
On Twitter the museum sent out a warning post at 4.08pm: 'We have evacuated the Museum as a precaution and will share an update shortly.'
The spokesman said visitors and staff were unaffected by the smoke and the building was evacuated in a 'matter of minutes'.
He told MailOnline: 'There was some smoke which triggered the alarm. The fire crews arrived and had a look.
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'Our security team worked with the fire brigade and later gave the all clear to open the museum.'
Mikey Pearce, 19, told the Standard: 'All the staff by the cafe we were in cleared everybody very efficiently towards the exits. It was very organised and very swift. It was very impressive.
'People were incredibly quick, efficient and calm when leaving and they appeared to clear the building in very good time.
The museum reopened at about 5pm after the safety checks were made.
Fire crews have launched an investigation into the cause of the smoke.
Last week museum bosses opened a major new exhibition on robots.
About an hour after the evacuation the museum began re-opening to members of the public
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