Rochester Cathedral fire: Services resume at site

The main cathedral building was unaffected

Services have resumed at a cathedral in Kent following a fire.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service attended a fire at Rochester Cathedral at about 15:40 GMT on Wednesday and said damage had been restricted to a small area.

The cathedral had suspended services to asses any damage caused, but these resumed on Friday morning.

The site remains closed to other visitors until Saturday so the building can be ventilated and for specialist cleaning to take place.

A cathedral spokesperson said there were no injuries as a result of the fire, which they said was put out quickly after being caught in the early stages.

Although the main cathedral building was unaffected, there was damage to a section of the lead roof, and parts of the heating system would need to be replaced, they said.

Rochester Cathedral said the repairs could be "costly".

The Dean of Rochester, the Very Reverend Dr Philip Hesketh, said: "I'm very relieved that nobody was injured, and that the situation was quickly brought under control."

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