Church Hall Fire in Preston

A church hall fire that broke out yesterday in Preston is being treated as suspicious by the police.

According to the Lancashire Evening Post, police are considering the fire at St Joseph's Parish Centre in Ribbleton as a potential arson attack, after discovering the back door had been broken. The fire caused extensive damage to the building on Tuesday morning and it took firefighters five hours to get the blaze under control.

A spokesperson for the fire service said that firefighters were forced to break some windows so oxygen could enter the building, in order to reduce the risk to their lives when entering.The church has been empty for several years, however property owners with vacant buildings are advised to conduct regular inspections and ensure that an appropriate fire risk assessment has been carried out so they are covered in the event of a fire.