Slideshow ( 6 images )

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Flames ripped through the complex housing Kuwait’s new opera house on Monday, just three months after the futuristic $770-million (£618 million) venue opened to the public.

A thick plume of black smoke rose from the waterfront Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, television footage showed. Firefighters on a crane sprayed water onto the building, a structure covered with geometric Islamic patterns.

In a statement later in the day, the centre said the fire had been contained with no casualties. The blaze hit the roof of the complex building, away from the theatre and music buildings, it added.

The musical “Cats” was due to open at the complex on Thursday, and the centre’s statement said events and activities there would continue uninterrupted.