A FIRE at a community hall in Truro has been described as “devastating” by the community association that runs it.

Police are treating the incident at Trelander and St Clements Community Centre on Monday [September 15] as “deliberate”, as well as a break-in that occurred a few days later.

Residents have made an emotional appeal for financial support to cover any potential shortfall left by an insurance claim.

Lorraine Vinson, chair of Trelander and St Clements Community Association, told Truro Voice: “The fire affected the main part of the centre – the sports hall, the kids’ creche and the kitchen.

“We had so many bookings from the likes of karate, yoga, breast-feeding groups and Slimming World. It’s a massive loss of revenue for us – not what we needed. It’s devastating.”

Mrs Vinson thanked organisations including Truro Rugby Club that had stepped into offer event space while the centre gets back on its feet. “A lot of groups used the hall as a storage facility; fortunately, we think nothing has been damaged,” she added.

“The centre has been here for 25 years; I was one of the founding committee members who got the funding to get it built. We will not allow it to rot – it will be fully refurbished.”

The fire is believed to have originated on the ground floor but spread to the roof void. Cornwall Fire and Rescue received multiple 999 calls at 5.25pm and sent six appliances, an aerial ladder platform and a breathing apparatus support vehicle to the scene.

Crews used three hose reel jets to tackle the fire, while members of the public were warned to keep doors and windows closed to avoid smoke plumes.

The fire was extinguished the fire, with officers returning to the incident ground on Tuesday morning for further investigation purposes.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched under the banner of Trelander and St Clements Community Recovery Fund. “If the insurance falls short, your donations will help us bridge the gap and get the hall back up and running,” said a spokesperson. “If everything is covered, every penny raised will go directly into supporting community activities and events that bring people together - something we need now more than ever.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are investigating a suspicious fire and theft at Trelander and St Clements Community Hall, which occurred earlier this week.

“On September 15, a fire broke out which is being treated as deliberate, and we later received a report of theft of tools from a shed on site that occurred while the clear-up was taking place following the fire.

“Our enquiries are ongoing in relation to these incidents, and we encourage anyone with information which may be able to assist us to call 101 or report via our website quoting reference 50250240642.”

In a statement on Facebook, a Truro City Council spokesperson said the authority was “shocked” to hear the news about the fire, adding: “We will work with the residents in the area in the aftermath of this terrible event in their community.”