A PASTOR has spoken of his devastation of having "no choice" but to watch a fire destroy a 140-year-old church.

A major fire broke out yesterday evening in Stow Hill, Newport.

The blaze started in the old Zanzibar nightclub and soon ravaged 140-year Bethel Community Church.

Paster Andrew Cleverly said: "The youth group were meeting in the basement of the church and one was late. That person then noticed the building next door was on fire.

"Soon the emergency services arrived. The youth group managed to get out."

He said that he and parishioners had "no choice" but to watch their beloved church be engulfed by flames.

"When we got to Stow Hill we could not do anything. We just had to watch it burn before our very eyes.

"It is destroyed and we are devastated."

It is believed that the damage sustained could cost millions of pounds to fix.

"The stain glass windows have gone," he said.

"All you can now see is the four walls. There had been three floors.

"We had been in the process of re-developing the upper level.

"We owned a building on the other side and sold it to raise funds to refurbish this building.

"But the damage from the fire is a lot. I fear it is unrepairable. It will cost millions of pounds to put right."

He also said that the church will be missed by many people because of its active role in the community.

"It has played a big part in the community," he said. "We have done a lot with refugees.

"We have been helping the community for 140-years.

"We will be sorely missed. I do not know what the future will hold now for the building."

But he added: "But I must say that the church is not the building, it is the people.

"The people, thank goodness, were not burnt down.

"I am gutted - like the building. But the church is not dead."

Emergency services are still at the scene.

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