A blaze in Beachamwell started by welding work has destroyed the thatched roof of a Grade I listed church.

Ten fire engines were sent to the blaze at St Mary's Church at 10.44am today (February 2) after sparks from welding work ignited the church's thatched roof.

Blaze-rips-through-Beachamwell-church-6ec7e426

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service have confirmed that operations are being scaled back and that those in the area are safe to open doors and windows.

Terry Pinto, group manager of Norfolk Fire and Rescue, said: "It was a devastating fire for the community.

Eastern Daily Press: Firefighters tackling the fire in the church's 11th century round tower.Firefighters tackling the fire in the church's 11th century round tower. (Image: Gary Dent)

"Unfortunately, when we arrived, the roof was fully involved in fire and it had already spread to the main building of the church so it was all about damage limitation and trying to stop the impact on the wider community and environment.

"The building is completely damaged by fire.

"Lots and lots of irreplaceable items unfortunately will be lost through the fire which is a real shame."

Structural engineers are on site assessing the church tower and the two bells inside, which weigh a tonne each.

Eastern Daily Press: Ten fire engines attended the scene of the fire in Beachamwell.Ten fire engines attended the scene of the fire in Beachamwell. (Image: Gary Dent)

Mr Pinto added: "We’re concerned about the tower.

"We want to ultimately leave the church in safe position for the community so there’s no risk of it collapsing later on.

"We’re hopeful that it is still stable but unfortunately those bells are really heavy and they’re normally fixed with wooden fixings so we’re going to have to carry out more investigations before we leave the scene."

Eastern Daily Press: Fire crews are on scene at a blaze at St Mary's Church in Beachamwell.Fire crews are on scene at a blaze at St Mary's Church in Beachamwell. (Image: Gary Dent)

A worker, who asked not to be named, said he along with two others were working on the roof before the fire.

He said: "We were putting the lead roof on.

"The thatched roof was all rotten, there were thatchers working on it the other day and it was like dust, it just fell apart.

"We were doing a little bit of welding and a spark caught the thatched roof. And well look at it now, it’s mortifying.

"It’s just evil.

Eastern Daily Press: Fire crews are tackling a fire at a St Mary's Church, Beachamwell.Fire crews are tackling a fire at a St Mary's Church, Beachamwell. (Image: Sarah Hussain)

"It went up so quick, and spread that quickly.

"We were making our way down and there was already a hole in the roof. We rung the fire brigade straight away and they told us to stay away."

Eastern Daily Press: Firefighters tackled a blaze at the 11th century St Mary's Church in Beachamwell, near Swaffham, Norfolk.Firefighters tackled a blaze at the 11th century St Mary's Church in Beachamwell, near Swaffham, Norfolk. (Image: PA)

Norfolk police and UK Power Networks are also on scene.

The church's round tower was built in the 11th century and is believed to be one of the earliest in Norfolk.

It is the last remaining of four churches that used to serve the area.

Eastern Daily Press: Fire crews are tackling a fire at a St Mary's Church, Beachamwell.Fire crews are tackling a fire at a St Mary's Church, Beachamwell. (Image: Sarah Hussain)

Eastern Daily Press: Police are also on the scene of the fire.Police are also on the scene of the fire. (Image: Sarah Hussain)

In 2019, fire crews tackled a similar blaze only 11 miles away that destroyed the roof of St Mary's Church in Wimbotsham.

This is a breaking news story. Be sure the check back on the website for further updates as they come in.

Join our Norfolk Breaking News Facebook group to be the first to see breaking news stories in the county.