THE fire service has pledged to support a historic church in Mudeford that was left devastated by a fire.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said they will be engaging in activities to raise money for the rebuild of Mudeford All Saints Church.
As reported the church became engulfed by flames on the evening of July 14.
Police closed the road and manned a cordon, whilst more than 50 firefighters battled the fire, caused by an electrical issue in the building.
The fire caused 'extensive' damage with most of the roof falling through. Now nearly two months on, residents await updates on the rebuild project.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Stuart Gillion told the Daily Echo: “I was at that incident as a commander, and it was a tragic loss of quite a significant community building and that was evident on the night of the fire with hundreds of people gathering and observing what was unfolding.
“We worked hard on the evening to manage the fire and deal with it as quickly and effectively as we could, and we managed to save some parts of the church.”
The church has been out of use since the blaze, while fire investigations got underway and teams worked to make the building safe, but now talks are set to begin into its rebuild.
Mr Gillion added: “Following the incident we embarked on a programme of support for the community, for the churchgoers and for the area as a whole.
“We supported the next service on the following Sunday, we attended, and we are now committed to lending our support to any fundraising activities that are going up embarking on in terms of the community to raise money for the church project and bring it back to its former glory.”
Councillor Paul Hilliard has been in talks with the fire service but said that fundraising activities had not been decided yet.
He said: “The fire service wants to help because of all their efforts. It’s quite close to them.
“It’s good that the community has pulled together.”
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