21/05/2007

Cutty Sark fire 'suspicious'

The fire that broke out on the famous Cutty Sark ship in the early hours of Monday morning is being treated as suspicious.

Fire crews were called to the scene in Greenwich, southeast London, just before 5am on Monday, where the 138-year-old tea clipper was ablaze.

There were no reports of any injuries, but it is understood that there has been substantial damage to the Cutty Sark, which had been closed to the public in order for an extensive £25 million restoration project to take place.

However, a spokesperson for the Cutty Sark Trust later said that 50% of the ship had been removed from the scene for restoration work and that the damage did not appear to look as bad as first envisaged.

The ship, one of Britain's best known tourist attractions, which attracts around 15 million visitors a year, had been due to reopen in 2009.

An investigation into the blaze has been launched by police, fire brigade and forensic bureau.

Police are examining CCTV footage from the area at the time the blaze started. It is thought that there were people in the area around the time that the blaze broke out and police are investigating that the possibility that arson was the cause of the blaze.

A silver car was reported to have been seen leaving the scene, but police have said there is nothing to link it to the blaze at this stage.

Residents living near the scene were evacuated from their homes and traffic disruption and delays have been reported in the surrounding areas. The Docklands Light Railway has also been closed as a result of the fire.

Police said that a number of witnesses have already come forward, but they are urging anyone else who may have been in the area at the time of the blaze to come forward.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Greenwich CID on: 0208 284 9416.

(KMcA/JM)

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