7 Jan 2014

Woman charged after fire guts church

5:52 pm on 7 January 2014

A 59-year old woman has been arrested and charged with arson following a blaze that extensively damaged a church in New Plymouth.

The fire gutted Saint Philomena Catholic Church on Monday afternoon.

The Fire Service responded after receiving several calls from people seeing flames and smoke coming from the roof.

The church on Brooklands Road and near a primary school was engulfed in flames within minutes.