
© UnknownThe Bureau Centre for the Arts, former Church of St. John the Evangelist
Firefighters are tackling a huge blaze at one of the oldest church buildings in Blackburn.
It started just before 05:30 BST in
The Bureau Centre for the Arts, in the former Church of St John the Evangelist, which opened in 1789. The Grade II-listed building is thought to be the oldest church in the town.
The Dean of Blackburn Cathedral, the Very Reverend Peter Howell-Jones, tweeted: "Very sad to see.......just praying now one was hurt."
Blackburn with Darwen Council, which owns the building, said it would work with the Bureau's directors to discuss its future. Watch manager Chris Archer said the cause of the fire was not suspicious.

© Lancashire Fire ServicePutting out the fire and assessing what remains.
Comment: These soldiers just expressed what their like-minded types in the establishment feel about Corbyn. If you see it from their perspective (a portion of them anyway), Corbyn is an existential threat to the fun they derive from killing people.
The UK has been at war continuously since 1914. They're not about to let some bloody socialist come in and put an end to it.
Britain has been at war continuously for 104 years
A tangential possibility is that they were put up to it as part of 'hate week' against Corbyn: