Crematorium fire halts funeral service

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Heart of England CrematoriumImage source, Google Maps
Image caption,

The chapel at Nuneaton's crematorium filled with black smoke after a "technical fault"

A funeral service had to be stopped when a fire broke out at a crematorium.

The congregation had to be evacuated from Nuneaton's Heart of England Crematorium after black smoke filled the building 10 minutes into the funeral service at 12:15 GMT.

Firefighters spent more than two hours putting out the fire, thought to have been caused by a problem with the cremator duct.

The funeral service resumed later in the afternoon.

A spokesman for Dignity PLC, which runs the crematorium, said: "With the assistance of local funeral directors, all services were re-scheduled for later in the afternoon and the crematorium will be operating as normal tomorrow."

Five fire engines were sent to the site, in Heart of England Way, was under control by GMT 14:30.

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