Bristol community radio station BCFM 'devastated' by fire

A community radio station was taken off air for several hours after a fire broke out in its live studio.

Bristol Community FM's (BCFM) director Pat Hart said he was "devastated" and thanked staff and emergency services for their help.

The fire service said 20 adults and 30 children were evacuated from the building in Easton. No-one was injured.

BCFM, which is now broadcasting from a secondary studio, reported the cause to be an electrical fault.

Mr Hart said: "It will be some time before we can rebuild the live studio."

BCFM announced on social media that the fire broke out during a live broadcast and that most of its studio equipment had been destroyed.

The radio station has received messages and comments from people saying they will do anything to help.

In a statement, BCFM said it was "overwhelmed by the hundreds of offers of support" from its listeners and people living nearby.

Presenter Tony Johnson, who was on air at the time of the fire, said he saw "smoke rising from his left-hand side" and then "the room filled with smoke".

The radio station rents its studio space from Easton Community Centre, a building regularly used by local residents. The centre is closed until further notice.

BCFM is back on air and is determined to broadcast live from the Bristol Balloon Fiesta at 06:00 BST on Friday.