An overnight fire which destroyed a church in north Belfast is thought to have been started accidentally.

Forty families were moved from their homes in nearby streets as Jennymount Methodist Church in North Queen Street burned down.

The police and fire service said they believed the blaze was accidental and the minister of the church said he thought it could have been started by a faulty boiler.

Six fire appliances, two turntable ladders and 40 firefighters turned out to tackle the blaze.

We are talking about a complete new build - nothing is going to be saved Rev Jim Lemon

However, divisional fire officer Geoff Bannerman said there was little they could do to save the church.

He said the families were moved out of their houses because of the dangers of thick smoke and the potential for the building to collapse.

"Our main priority was to evacuate people from Deacon Street, Gainsborough Drive and North Queen Street. In total it was about 40 families.

"This was due to the fact of the amount of smoke, the impending collapse of the building and radiated heat from the fire," he said.

All but three families were allowed to return to their homes about 0200 GMT.

About 500 families worship in the church.

'Rebuilding'

The minister, the Reverend Jim Lemon, said they were getting ready to celebrate their centenary next year.

He said some in his congregation were already speaking about rebuilding the church.

"Thankfully no lives were lost - because there was an explosion - and thankfully our young people in the youth group had already left the premises.

"We are talking about a complete new build. Nothing is going to be saved," he said.