Cathedral blaze causes millions of pounds worth of damage

A blaze at one of Britain's oldest cathedrals is feared to have caused millions of pounds worth of damage.

Smoke from the fire at Peterborough Cathedral is thought to have affected an ornate 13th-century ceiling and the church organ.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service says the fire could have been worse had it not been for the quick thinking of a verger.

Crews also used knowledge of the building gained from a familiarisation exercise at the cathedral last week.

Station Officer Ray McDonnell, the incident commander, said the verger spotted smoke coming from a window of the 12th-century building as he prepared to go home.

"By sheer chance, he had stopped to talk to a couple of choristers," said Mr McDonnell. "Normally he would have been long gone when he noticed flames from a window.

"He was able to tell us when we got there that it was by the organ on the left hand side from the nave aisle.

"It could have been so much worse. We had amazing luck. We're all elated that we managed to stop what would have been a national disaster. We nearly lost the pride of Peterborough."

It is thought the ornate front of the organ has been severely smoke-damaged along with a decorated medieval ceiling, dating from 1230, which had only recently been cleaned at a cost of £1.5m.

Only one person was injured in the incident. He was treated for minor smoke inhalation.