FORENSIC officers are in the process of investigating the fire-hit Cutty Sark today, now the 19th-century ship has been declared safe.

The fire, which is being treated by police as suspicious, started at around 4.47am yesterday morning.

Eight fire engines and around 40 firefighters were called to the blaze on the ship in William Walk, Greenwich.

The fire spread to the whole of the three-deck vessel, which had recently been undergoing a £25 million refurbishment. Fifty per cent of the ship had been removed for restoration work prior to the fire.

Richard Doughty, head of the Cutty Sark Trust, confirmed fears that temperatures of up to 1,000C buckled some of the iron work.

Trustees of the ship estimate the blaze could add at least £5 million to the £25 million bill of its current restoration project.

It is likely to push back its reopening to the public beyond November 2009.

An area around the 138-year-old tea clipper had to be evacuated as firefighters feared gas cylinders were on board and might explode.

Town centre traffic was badly disrupted by the blaze and Docklands Light Railway was closed.

Police officers are currently analysing CCTV images which are believed to show people in the area shortly before the fire started.

Residents evacuated

A mother-of-two was one of 20 residents evacuated.

The 43-year-old, who would only give her name as Veronica, lives in Rockfield House, overlooking the Cutty Sark.

The retail worker said: "The police knocked at 5.30am and we were told that we had to evacuate the building as there was a fire in the Cutty Sark and there were gas cylinders that could explode.

"We waited outside for about one hour until we were told it was safe to go back in.

"If it was deliberate the people that did it need to be punished.

"It's sad for the area and the local community. There is a lot of history around here."

Gas cylinder alert

London Fire Brigade spokesman and station manager for Bexley Ian Allchin said about 16 calls were received about the fire at around 4.46am.

Speaking yesterday, he said: "On arrival there was a very severe fire in progress. The first arrivals came from Greenwich fire station, all the local stations attended.

"At the height of the fire we had eight pumps and two aerial appliances to deal with the incident.

"We are investigating at the moment but we haven't been able to get fully onboard because we are trying to put out small pockets of fire.

"A lot of the timber has been damaged so it is quite dangerous to move about on there but we will be getting on board and doing an investigation.

"We will be several hours yet investigating this.

"We evacuated about 20 people from the surrounding houses. The ship is under construction so we would expect there to be cylinders there.

"We treated the initial incident as though there may have been cylinders involved, that's why we evacuated people in the surrounding area.

"After a short time we were able to establish that there were no cylinders involved in the fire and carried out a normal firefighting operation."

Devastated by blaze

Cutty Sark Trust chief executive Mr Doughty said: "At its peak eyewitnesses described flames 30 foot up into the sky.

"All the decks have been badly burnt. But it is the outer structure, it is the frame and the timbers that form the ship, which are our worry.

"I am hopeful that when we do a full survey we will find that the really important parts of the original fabric have survived the fire.

"It will have a huge impact on both the restoration work and budget. It is going to put months and millions and millions of pounds on to the project.

"Until I know how serious the damage is I cannot tell how much it will cost."

The leader Of Greenwich Council Councillor Chris Roberts said: "This is a devastating blow for what is a truly iconic symbol of Greenwich across the world.

"The Cutty Sark has a unique and special history, which helps to draw millions of visitors to Greenwich every year.

"We must be thankful that there have not been any injuries and that the emergency services have acted quickly to bring the situation under control.

"Greenwich Council has been a key partner in the efforts to restore the Cutty Sark for a number of years and we will continue to do all we can to support the Trust following this sad and shocking news."

Councillor Nigel Fletcher, who represents Eltham north, is the Conservative spokesman for culture and heritage.

He said: "Police are saying people were seen in the vicinity and they are treating it as suspicious.

"I think because as it was boarded up people may have seen it as a challenge to break in.

"It's horrific. To see the damage on the news this morning felt like a bad dream.

"I think little else could have been done (to prevent it), it is a secure site and as secure as any other similar project.

"The CCTV in the area is very satisfactory. There are cameras all around. I wouldn't be critical of the security at this point."

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