FIREFIGHTERS remain today at the scene of a devastating blaze which ripped through an historic church in Ipswich.

The fire broke out at the redundant St Michael’s Church in Upper Orwell Street just before 10pm last night.

At the height of the inferno, ten fire crews battled the flames as fears mounted that the fragile building would collapse.

A spokeswoman for the fire brigade said today the building is still standing but a crew remain at the scene as a precaution.

She said fire investigators would return to the site this morning to start piecing together the evidence in a bid to discover what sparked the blaze.

The fire was finally brought under control by 12.30am.

The road remains closed to traffic this morning after a safety cordon was erected around the delapidated church by police last night.

Fire crews from Princes Street and Colchester Road stations in Ipswich, Woodbridge, Holbrook, Felixstowe, Needham Market, Colchester and Hadleigh were all sent to tackle the huge blaze.

A turntable unit, aerial ladder platform and a command support vehicle were also involved in the firefighting operation.

The church is a listed building and was built in the 1880s but has stood empty for more than a decade.

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