Fire rips through church in Fingringhoe Road, Colchester

Old Heath Congregational Church in Fingringhoe Road went up in flames shortly after 10pm on Tuesday, with three fire crews remaining on the scene until the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The building, which was built in 1868 and has been unused since the early 2010s, was still smouldering past midnight while several residents looked on in disbelief.

Safety - fire crews remained on the scene into the early hours to ensure the fire had been completely extinguished (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) It has not been confirmed whether the fire was started deliberately, but police remained on the scene for several hours after the blaze had been put out.

No-one is believed to have been seriously hurt and the East of England Ambulance Service has confirmed it was not called to the scene.

One eyewitness, who saw smoke billowing from the church as he drove past, told the Gazette the fire brigade was on the scene in minutes.

He said: “I saw the fire on my way home – my reaction was just, ‘Wow’.

“Just seeing it from the road was scary – coming up the road, you could see the flames and everything.”

The owner of Old Heath Garage said he attended the scene of the fire after he received messages from neighbours about the incident.

It is understood a police investigation looking into the cause of the fire is now underway.

The future of the church has been uncertain in recent years and in February a planning application was submitted to demolish the building.

A planning statement put forward by Kartal Construction read: “The existing building has been neglected for many years and has fallen into a state where repair is both not practicable nor viable.

Damaged - parts of the church were completely singed by the fire (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) “It would also not be possible to refurbish or convert the structure as in the first instance, none of the material is suitable for reuse.

“It is recognised that it is a shame to lose such a building, but any historical value has been long lost in this instance due to the lack of maintenance and damage.”

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 10.19pm and crews from Colchester and Wivenhoe attended.

"They extinguished a fire in a derelict building by 11.53pm."

Essex Police has been contacted for comment.