 On 20 November 1992 , a major fire occurred at Windsor Castle , lasting for 15 hours and causing widespread damage to the Upper Ward . The Private Chapel in the north @-@ east corner of the State Apartments was being renovated as part of a long term programme of work within the castle , and it is believed that one of the spotlights being used in the work set fire to a curtain by the altar during the morning . The fire spread quickly and destroyed nine of the principal state rooms , and severely damaged more than 100 others . Fire @-@ fighters applied water to contain the blaze , whilst castle staff attempted to rescue the precious artworks from the castle . Many of the rooms closest to the fire had been emptied as part of the renovation work , and this contributed to the successful evacuation of most of the collection . The fire spread through the roof voids and efforts continued through the night to contain the blaze , at great risk to the 200 fire @-@ fighters involved . It was not until late afternoon that the blaze began to come under control , although the fire continued during the night before being officially declared over the next morning . Along with the fire and smoke damage , one of the unintended effects of the fire @-@ fighting was the considerable water damage to the castle ; more than 1 @.@ 5 million gallons of water were used to extinguish it , which in many ways caused more complex restoration problems than the fire . 
