British Broadcasting Corporation

Page last updated at 06:20 GMT, Monday, 29 June 2009 07:20 UK

Convent chapel goes up in flames

Convent fire
The convent is not derelict but has not been occupied for about a year.

Nearly 100 firefighters tackled a blaze in the chapel of a former Carmelite convent in West Sussex.

Emergency services were alerted at 2010 BST on Sunday when fire was spotted coming from the roof of the chapel in Hunston, near Chichester.

Fire crews had to fight the rapidly developing blaze from the chapel's doorway because of debris falling from the roof.

The cause is under investigation and arson has not been ruled out.

Heat exhaustion

There were no injuries, but one firefighter was treated for possible heat exhaustion.

Water was pumped from nearby lakes to fight the blaze, with 15 pumps being sent to the scene along with two aerial ladders.

Firefighters were later able to enter the chapel and stop the blaze spreading to the rest of the convent.

A detailed investigation by police and fire service officers into the cause of the blaze is under way, using the West Sussex fire investigation dog, Hattie.

The convent is not derelict but has not been occupied for about a year.

Advertisement

Nearly 100 fire-fightersattended the incident



Print Sponsor


RELATED INTERNET LINKS
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites


FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Sex abuse of boys and girls rises amid Zimbabwe crisis
Mark Mardell on the hard fact at core of US health debate
Vivid images of the season courtesy of our readers

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Explore the BBC

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Americas Africa Europe Middle East South Asia Asia Pacific