Fire rips through community hall at Ashburton church

An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire that’s gutted the community hall of the Uniting Church at Ashburton.

The blaze, which started about 1.30 on Wednesday morning, took fire crews about 45 minutes to bring under control.

At this stage, the MFB says it’s believed to have started in the kitchen.

It’s not being treated as suspicious.