AN out-of-control bonfire is thought to have caused a blaze at the Catholic church in Hartley Wintney.

The roof of St Thomas More Church in Mount Pleasant caught fire at around 5.30pm on Tuesday. Crews from Hartley Wintney, Fleet, Odiham, Yateley, Basingstoke and Rushmoor stations rushed to the scene.

The cause of the blaze is still being investigated but it is believed to have started when a bonfire on a nearby plot of land spread to a shed, and then to the church.

The fire was first reported at around 6.05pm. Hartley Wintney firefighters kept the area near the cricket green clear while they dealt with it. They had put out the fire by 8.30pm.

A comment on social media site Twitter: “Sadly we are dealing with a fire at the Catholic Church of St Thomas, where villagers have celebrated Holy Mass for more than 40 years.”

The fire crew also thanked the community for making it as easy as possible to deal with the fire by spreading the word to avoid the area.

Residents posted their condolences on the Hartley Wintney Facebook page, with comments such as "what a shame" and "so sad, so many memories".