But authorities said that 36 works of art by famed Mexican painter Diego Rivera, valued at US$14 million (euro12.04 million) and permanently housed near where the blaze erupted, were not harmed.
A team working to refurbish the Veracruz State Museum of Art, located in Orizaba, 130 miles (180 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City, in time for its planned reopening on Wednesday was in the warehouse when the morning fire began.
The warehouse was crowded with more than 200 paintings, but those by Diego Rivera were stored within the museum's main building. All artwork on-sight was insured, according to Leticia Perlasca, director of Veracruz's Institute of Culture.
Perlasca said the Rivera paintings initially were threatened by the blaze, but that firefighters were able to control the flames long before they reached the museum building.
She said those works of art that sustained minor damage likely could be repaired. They included paintings by Mexican artists Maria Orozco Rivera and Carreon Najera, as well as works by anonymous artists.
Local media reported that the fire did US$500 million (euro437 million) worth of damage. While Perlasca couldn't say how much the fire would cost the museum, she said it was ``definitely not as costly'' as reported.
State investigators examined the scene of the fire, but said a short circuit was the most-likely cause.
