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Historic Bristol church damaged by serious fire
A fire has seriously damaged one of Bristol’s most historic churches.
Fire crews rushed to the 15th century St Michael on the Mount Without at the foot of St Michael’s Hill in Kingsdown soon after midday on Sunday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said that the blaze quickly took hold of the building with the whole roof set alight, with people living nearby asked to keep their windows and doors closed.
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Alice Hill, who lives in a neighbouring house to the church, said: “I heard a big bang across the road and when I looked outside the church window had completely smashed from the heat.”
It is believed that a group of squatters have recently been living in the church, which has been closed since the 1990s and is on the Buildings at Risk Register.
Work has been underway over the past few months to try and restore the building, which although closed for services is still used by bell ringers for practise.
Investigations are continuing at the church on Monday morning, with St Michael’s Hill remaining shut from Royal Fort Road to Perry Road.
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