ALL Saints Church in Alton escaped serious damage on Monday evening when fire engulfed a shed to the rear of the building, blowing out part of the north transept window. The alarm was raised by neighbours who contacted Hampshire Fire and Rescue at around 7-50 pm and then attempted to keep the fire under control. They were helped in their efforts by an unnamed good Samaritan who stopped his red cleaning services van in Queens Road and used a pressure hose to try and quell the flames The irony of the situation was all too apparent as a gathering crowd of onlookers congregated on the pavement outside the church, which is located directly opposite to the fire station. Alton firefighters had been called out earlier to tackle a fire at a farm in West Worldham which is said to have completely destroyed an open barn packed with six tons of hay. So when the call came to attend All Saints Church - a church with which the Alton station has strong links - appliances had to be called in from Odiham, Grayshott and Bordon. The first engine arrived at 8-08 pm to find the fire raging and local people fighting to keep the flames at bay. The heat from the burning shed had blown out one of the large windows at the back of the church and smoke and soot were pouring into the building. While high-pressure hoses were used to tackle the burning shed, positive pressure ventilators were used to blow smoke out of the church. Firefighters using breathing apparatus later entered the Grade II listed building to determine the smoke damage. The incident was closed at 10-36 pm and an investigation is to take place into the cause of the fire. While there is "doubt" surrounding the cause, according to All Saints vicar, Paul Barlow, any thought that the fire could have been started deliberately was pure speculation. Fortunately - due in no small measure to the speed with which the fire was reported, the action of neighbours and in particular the driver of the red van in seeking to keep it under control - there was little real damage. The storage shed and its contents had been completely destroyed. These had included such items as flower stands, Sunday school paraphernalia and toys left over from the summer fete. The church would have kept the flames at bay had it not been for the diamond paned window, part of which blew out in the heat allowing smoke, soot and water to enter the building. The affected carpets were taken up and spread over the pews to dry out. The smoke was blown and sucked out of the building and it was necessary to clean away the soot and dust. The first station of the cross had also been damaged beyond repair, said the vicar. While the church will be locked until the window has been repaired, a job which will need to be done by specialist contractors, it will be "business as usual" at All Saints. According to Rev Barlow the £60k project to replace the bells has almost reached fruition. The six bells had been cast in April and were currently in the bellhanger's workshop waiting for the frame to be galvanised. In the meantime, work is being undertaken in the belfry to create some form of sound control. It is hoped to hang the bells at the end of this month. At the same time the winding mechanism of the recently electrified church clock will be laced into the bell frame and set to strike on the hour. Once the bells are up, the congregation of All Saints will be embarking on their next major fundraising effort - a £70k project to replace the nave roof. l Built of polygonal Selborne malmstone with Bathstone ashlar dressings and sporting steeply pitched clay plain-tile roofs with terracotta ridge tiles, All Saints was designed in 1873/4 by Frederick Charles Dyer of London in Early English style.
