Eckington church fire started deliberately

Police are appealing for information into the blaze

Author: Trevor ThomasPublished 6th Jun 2022

A fire investigation into the cause of a fire at a derelict church on Chesterfield Road, Eckington has concluded that the fire was started deliberately.

Firefighters were called to the fire at 19:41 hours on Friday 3 June 2022 with crews from Chesterfield with the aerial ladder platform, Dronfield, Clay Cross, Staveley and Long Eaton with the command support unit attending. Further assistance came from South Yorkshire’s Lowedges and Birley fire stations.

Local residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed during the incident.

Detective Constable Ian Niven said: “A joint investigation with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has led us to believe that the blaze at the derelict church was started deliberately.

“We would like to appeal for witnesses, or anyone who saw suspicious activity to come forward. In particular, we want to know if anyone saw people accessing the building or the grounds from around 7pm onwards on Friday 3rd June.”

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