Alastair Upton, Chief Executive at the BluecoatI got home yesterday just in time to read my 4 year old a book before turning his lights out. As I lay down I realised I stunk of smoke and my eyes were watering.

I’d not seen him in the morning as I’d been called out to the fire at the Bluecoat. When I arrived the fire brigade had been there two hours already and while the fire was not raging it had got in between the floors and was flaring up in different areas. The fire crews were putting on breathing equipment, picking up axes and disappearing into the building to replace the teams coming out whose faces were blackened with smoke.

The fire brigade were fantastic, chasing the fire for hours but doing their best not to damage any of the old building.

We don’t yet know how it started but it effected the kitchen and burnt the ceiling above and some of  the second floor offices. The damage is extensive to the kitchen itself but partial to the rooms above which even though they are plain are some of the few remaining 18th Century interiors. The second floor damage included Bryan, our artistic director’s, office which housed a small amount of archive material including some paintings, posters and photos. National Museums Liverpool sent over their disaster team and the truck with equipment and they are already working on conserving items at the Conservation Centre.

The only other problems were caused by smoke so that areas are undamaged but dusted with what looks like black icing sugar.

By mid morning we knew where the damage was and some idea of scale. From there we worked to look at how we can get going again. First off get tenants back in, then the public, sort out the events people are holding here and after that get us some offices and then rebuild the damaged areas.

We are lucky that so much of the building is fine and the exhibitions team worked through the day hanging the show which was due to open this Thursday. The major issues are closing up and sealing the worst  areas, clean up the rest and there is light soot through many rooms and we need to get the fire alarms working again though we have 24 hour security cover on site. There is power to most places but our IT is down.

We all met together at the end of the day and looked at plans for Wednesday. There are bunch of people coming to give us advice and with that we should, I hope, have an idea of when we can open. The staff had been amazing all day and bounced back really quickly from shock to action.

When I had turned out my son’s light I went and found Jane my wife to say Happy Birthday. We had been due to go to the Playhouse but crashed out instead.