Firefighters battle inferno engulfing 230-year-old church in town centre
- Blaze broke out at The Bureau Centre for the Arts in Blackburn this morning
- Art centre is housed in former Church of St John the Evangelist built in 1789
- Fire began at around 5.30am and fire service says cause is still unknown
Firefighters are battling a blaze at a 230-year-old church this morning.
The fire broke out at The Bureau Centre for the Arts in Blackburn, Lancashire, at around 5.30am and ‘explosions’ were heard, according to reports on social media.
The art centre is based in the former Church of St John the Evangelist, which was built in July 1789 and is the oldest church in Blackburn.
Dean of Blackburn Cathedral Peter Howell-Jones shared a picture of the blaze on Twitter this morning.
Firefighters are battling a blaze, pictured, that broke out at The Bureau Centre for the Arts in Blackburn, housed in a 230-year-old church
The blaze engulfed the building, pictured left and right, and it is unknown if anyone was inside
He wrote: ‘Very sad to see @BureauBlackburn on fire this morning. @BlackburnLife @Blackburn_BID @bbcathedral Just praying no one was hurt.’
It is unknown whether anyone was in the building when the fire broke out.
The church stopped conducting active worship in 1975.