MYSTERY surrounds why a fire broke out in a village hall used by a pre-school this morning (July 25).
The blaze at Chelmer Village Hall off Village Way, Chelmsford at 6.40am was spotted by a worker at the Asda supermarket next door.
Springfield Parish Councillor Roy Smith, who is also a trustee of the hall, said: "We're at a loss to why it started.
"Apparently there was a few flames along the guttering, but there's no electrical wires running out there and we've just had a new roof and guttering in the last few months."
Firefighters were called at 6.42am and had put it out in 40 minutes.
They smashed a window to gain access as no-one was in the hall at the time.
Rainbow Pre-School, which uses the building, had broken up the week before.
Mr Smith continued: "We're going to make it secure but we're not closing, if the pre-school were in today we could have still functioned.
"We had a roof repaired a couple of years ago when vandals got on the roof and burnt it.
"But it's just funny it's on the outside, but I don't think it was caused by anything like a cigarette."
