An investigation is underway after a fire gutted a Grade II listed chapel and school in County Durham.
The blaze was reported to the Fire Service at around midnight on Friday July 7, with five fire crews, including an aerial ladder platform, attending the former Junior Seminary Chapel of St Aloysius at St Cuthbert's College at Ushaw. The fire was brought under control after several hours and crews left the site at around 4pm.
A drone shot from County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service shows that part of the roof collapsed and the interior suffered smoke damage. Though the fire was serious, no-one was injured as the building was unoccupied, meaning that the country house and its chapels and gardens have remained opened to visitors over the weekend and into this week.
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The fire is believed to have started in the eastern range of the unoccupied Junior House and spread in a southerly direction in to the roof at the St. Aloysius Chapel, though it is possible that the damage in the Chapel may not be as serious as in the eastern range.
A conservation specialist structural engineer will carry out an assessment of the fire damaged buildings, and at this stage no-one from the emergency services of Ushaw has entered the buildings.
Jonathan Ward, commercial director at Ushaw, said: "Until access to the building is permitted it is impossible for us to predict what the future holds but we do hope that the damage to St Aloysius Chapel is not as significant as we initially feared. We've struggled for many years to find a viable use for the building.
"This includes a NLHF resilience project which commenced in 2018 with the intention of finding new and appropriate uses for these beautiful buildings. Following the completion of this project the country was hit by Covid19 which caused a halt.
"We've also been in conversation with other potential developers over the years but the costs involved have always been prohibitive. The fire should not impact our guests and visitors in any way as the buildings damaged do not form part of our visitor offer. Ushaw is and continues to be "open for all to enjoy."
A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We received reports of a fire at Ushaw Chapels and gardens in Durham at around midnight on Friday July 7. Five appliances from Durham, Peterlee, Spennymoor, Consett and an Aerial ladder platform (ALP) from Darlington attended the incident.
"Due to the quick thinking and swift actions by our crews the fire was brought under control, and they left the scene at 4pm. We can confirm this incident is being treated as suspected arson, and we would encourage anyone who has any information in relation either fire, to contact Firestoppers anonymously on 0800 169 5888 or report online by visiting www.firestoppersreport.co.uk."
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: "Officers are treating a large fire at Ushaw College, near Ushaw Moor, as arson. Police were alerted at 12.20am on Friday (July 7) to the fire by colleagues from the fire service.
"Thankfully, nobody was injured in the incident and the fire was extinguished. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the blaze."
