Fire tears through Mudeford All Saints Church

Residents watched with tears in their eyes as Mudeford All Saints Church was engulfed by flames on Thursday evening.

Police closed the road and manned a cordon, whilst more than 50 firefighters battled the blaze, which was believed to have started accidently.

Read more: Pictures of fire at All Saints Church in Mudeford

At its peak, there were 12 fire engines, two water carriers and the aerial ladder on scene battling the flames in the building, which had spread to the hall behind.

The fire at Mudeford All Saints Church on Thursday night.

Firefighters used main lines to bring the fire under control and prevent further fire spread.

Crowds of of people gathered to see crews tackle the blaze using water pumped from Mudeford Quay.

One resident watching with tears in her eyes said: “I know it’s just bricks and mortar but it’s memories burning too.”

Read more: Mudeford All Saints Church fire thought to be accidental

Richard Partridge, associate priest at the Priory which is sister church to All Saints, was also on the scene. He said: "This is absolutely devastating for the whole community but especially for all those who has faithfully worshipped there for so many years."

Reverend Helen Griffiths, who was a priest at the church for 11 years told the Daily Echo: “It's totally devastating. This is the hub of Mudeford and to see it in flames like this is really devastating."

Felicity Porter said: "It’s just devastating for a lot of us that are from Mudeford or grew up here.

"My grandparents helped build the hall at the back and helped to fundraise to get it built.

"We had my grandad’s funeral there, my parents were married there, I was christened there and my son was due to get christened there at the end of September.

"It’s just devastating to see it go up, but we’re going to get it rebuilt and we’re going to fundraise for it."

The fire service returned to the church on Friday morning to asses the damage and begin their investigations.

The aftermath of the fire at Mudeford All Saints Church

Speaking from the scene, station manager Shaun Milton said: We’ve got extensive damage throughout the property, both in the main church hall that is at the back of the building and then also the main church area as well.

“It was a very severe fire, but we’ve got all the resources here and we were able to bring it under control quite quickly.”

Read more: Mudeford church fire: All Saints church devastated by fire

Councillors have also reacted to the news, with many offering their support to the 'devestated community'.

Following Friday’s investigations, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue service said: “We believe that the devastating church fire in Mudeford started accidentally, although the exact cause remains under investigation."