A blaze in Beachamwell started by welding work has destroyed the thatched roof of a Grade I listed church.

Ten fire engines were sent to the blaze at St Mary's Church at 10.44am today (February 2) after sparks from welding work ignited the church's thatched roof.

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Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed that operations are being scaled back and that those in the area are safe to open doors and windows.

Terry Pinto, group manager of Norfolk Fire and Rescue, said: "It was a devastating fire for the community.

"Unfortunately, when we arrived, the roof was fully involved in fire and it had already spread to the main building of the church so it was all about damage limitation and trying to stop the impact on the wider community and environment.

"The building is completely damaged by fire.

"Lots and lots of irreplaceable items unfortunately will be lost through the fire which is a real shame."

Structural engineers are on site assessing the church tower and the two bells inside, which weigh a tonne each.

Mr Pinto added: "We’re concerned about the tower.

"We want to ultimately leave the church in safe position for the community so there’s no risk of it collapsing later on.

"We’re hopeful that it is still stable but unfortunately those bells are really heavy and they’re normally fixed with wooden fixings so we’re going to have to carry out more investigations before we leave the scene."

A worker, who asked not to be named, said he along with two others were working on the roof before the fire.

He said: "We were putting the lead roof on.

"The thatched roof was all rotten, there were thatchers working on it the other day and it was like dust, it just fell apart.

"We were doing a little bit of welding and a spark caught the thatched roof. And well look at it now, it’s mortifying.

"It’s just evil.

"It went up so quick, and spread that quickly.

"We were making our way down and there was already a hole in the roof. We rung the fire brigade straight away and they told us to stay away."

Norfolk police and UK Power Networks are also on scene.

The church's round tower was built in the 11th century and is believed to be one of the earliest in Norfolk.

It is the last remaining of four churches that used to serve the area.

In 2019, fire crews tackled a similar blaze only 11 miles away that destroyed the roof of St Mary's Church in Wimbotsham.

This is a breaking news story. Be sure the check back on the website for further updates as they come in.

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