Fears Feilding church fire may have been deliberate

File photo / APN

A fire which gutted a church hall in Feilding this morning may have been deliberately lit.

Fire Service spokesman Chris Dalton said the Feilding Baptist Church hall on Bowen St was "quite substantially" damaged in the blaze.

Crew found the 15m by 40m building "well alight" when they arrived at the scene before 2am, he said.

Mr Dalton said four fire trucks and a command unit were called to the fire, with around 20 firefighters tackling the blaze.

Fire safety and police were investigating the fire.

Pastor Allen Hince said the fire had wrecked the more than 50-year-old building, and the church's auditorium and other buildings had sustained smoke and water damage.

"I don't think it is salvageable. A lot depends on what the assessors say."

He said firefighters told him they suspected the blaze may have been deliberately lit, given where it appeared to have started.

His wife Jo said the hall housed many community groups, including the town's Girls' Brigade.

"It affects a few people. For those that have been there for many years, some of the elderly folk - it's tough for them. Its a big part of their lives."

Mr Hince said he would speak to the assessors and the church's elders before deciding on alternative venues for services and various community groups.

"It is not so much the building - it's the memories. The building has been here a long time and a lot of people have been here a long time. Buildings can be replaced, but memories are a little bit harder."

- NZHERALD STAFF