Shropshire Star

Firefighters find cause of burning smell at Shropshire church

A faulty spotlight in a north Shropshire church sparked a call to firefighters.

Published

The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service received a call at around 4.20pm on Saturday (September 13) regarding a burning smell in an Ellesmere church.

A crew from Ellesmere Fire Station was sent to St Mary's Church to investigate. 

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "Investigations identified the cause to be a faulty spotlight. 

The fire service investigated a burning smell in an Ellesmere church on Saturday. Photo: Ellesmere Fire Station
The fire service investigated a burning smell in an Ellesmere church on Saturday. Photo: Ellesmere Fire Station

"Crew used a nine-metre ladder to access the light and the thermal image camera to identify hot spots and damage to the surrounding area, of which there was none.

The fire service investigated a burning smell in an Ellesmere church on Saturday. Photo: Ellesmere Fire Station
The fire service investigated a burning smell in an Ellesmere church on Saturday. Photo: Ellesmere Fire Station

"We couldn't change the bulb, so the age-old question 'how many firefighters does it take to change a light bulb?' remains unanswered."

The stop message, which indicates the scene was under control, was received at 4.40pm.