Firefighters tackled an electrical fire at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Britain, on Friday afternoon. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service urged people to avoid the area after smoke was seen billowing from the top of the building on St James' Mount.
Crews arrived at the scene at 2:49pm, just five minutes after being alerted. They confirmed the fire was on the top-floor balcony of the cathedral. The building was evacuated, and firefighters extinguished the main body of the fire by 3:22pm. Crews remained on site to damp down and check temperatures before leaving at 5:02pm.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Anglican Cathedral said the cathedral would be closed for the rest of the day but is expected to reopen as normal on Saturday, with only the tower remaining closed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Visitors, including a group of tourists from Tennessee, were turned away. One tourist said: 'We came to visit, but were told it was closed because of a fire. We hope it’s only a small fire, as we’d hate to see any damage.'
