Firefighters tackled a blaze at Dedham Arts Centre.

They were called to the old timber framed church in High Street, Dedham, at 11am on Friday after a fire started in a warm air heating boiler in a building at the back of the church.

The fire burned out part of the boiler and sent smoke via the ducting into the gallery.

Firefighters cut away a little of the ducting and used a thermal imaging camera to check the rest of the building.

Sub-officer Paul Ebsworth, of Colchester station, said: "It mostly burned itself out but it could have been quite nasty. It is an old converted church with lots of timber."

Sandy Collier, a director of the centre, said there is now no heating in the former church building and a bit of a smell.

She added no-one had been hurt and business had resumed pretty much to normal over the weekend.

While the fire crews were dealing with the blaze, staff let them get on with it - they gathered outside and ate scones in the sunshine.

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