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Village hall is damaged by fire
Investigations are underway after a serious fire at Hullavington Village Hall in north Wiltshire.
The wooden building partially collapsed following the fire which started at about 2215 GMT on Wednesday 17th march.
Fire crews from Chippenham, Malmesbury and Corsham were called to the incident.
A Wiltshire Fire Brigade spokesman said the cause of the fire was unknown, but it was believed there were no suspicious circumstances.
'Tinderbox'
Jebbie Hewitt from the Hullavington Village Hall pre-school playgroup witnessed the fire:
"People were standing there watching the blaze with tears in their eyes, the fire has caused a lot of upset.
"The hall just went up like a tinderbox," she said.
Ms Hewitt was allowed in to the burnt building later on Wednesday evening and managed to rescue some items the children had been making for Mother's Day.
The hall is used by many different community groups and had been used for indoor bowls earlier that evening.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire Brigade praised villagers for their help after the fire.
Fire destroys village hall
A fire has destroyed an award-winning sports centre in north Devon.
Thirteen fire appliances and more than 90 firefighters and were called out to tackle the incident at the Woolfardisworthy Sports and Community Centre, near Clovelly, at about 2000 GMT on Monday 8th December 2003.
Crews were unable to stop flames burning through the mainly wooden hall.
They also had difficulty with water supplies and the wind carried the fire through the building.
Establishing cause
More than 100 people were outside the £855,000 hall, which was nationally recognised for its design and green features.
However, there were no injuries reported as a result of the fire.
Fire crews are still at the scene and they expect to be there for much of Tuesday.
Investigators will be attempting to establish the cause of the fire during the day, but it is currently not thought to be suspicious.
A member of the hall's committee, Kevin Johns, said that villagers felt powerless to help as the flames swept through the centre.
He said: "We couldn't do anything, except just watch it go to the ground. There were tears everywhere, I think."
About 30 sports and community groups use the facility.
Villager Jane Wilson said they would all be devastated by what had happened.
She said: "All we wanted was a new village hall. We worked hard and got a lottery grant, and to see it up and running was a wonderful thing.
"But to just see it go up in smoke is a very sad day for the area."
Exploding cylinders worsen fire
A village hall has been severely damaged by fire.
Nearly 70 firefighters were called to the hall in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, which caught alight at 2200 BST on Wednesday.
The situation on Kirklington Road was worsened by gas cylinders exploding, which officials said "were going up like rockets" at one stage.
Investigators believe the fire was deliberately lit.
Arson closes village hall doors
Police believe a fire, which caused severe damage to a popular parish hall, was started deliberately.
The damage at the High Pittington hall, near Durham, was discovered when it was opened for a meeting on Tuesday night.
Police believe it started after an extractor fan fitted to a window was tampered with, starting a fire which eventually burnt itself out.
The kitchen was damaged by fire and other areas of the building by smoke and it will be closed for some time.
The fire started sometime after midday on Monday. The back of the fan melted, fell to the floor and brushed against curtains in the kitchen.
Low crime
The hall is used by local people for a range of activities including martial arts, chess and a mothers and toddlers group.
Durham Police local beat officer Pc Paul Blair said: "This is very unusual for Pittington which normally has a very low crime rate.
"It could have been even worse as the building could have burnt down completely but fortunately the fire damage has been confined to the kitchen.
"Even so, the hall will be out of action for some considerable time."
Anyone with information is being asked to contact police.
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