MORE than 50 firefighters were called to a blaze at the Royal British Legion Hall in Chesham this morning.

The fire, which started at around 3.30am, has engulfed the entire two storey building and completely destroyed the roof.

About 10 residents in adjoining flats and buildings were evacuated and spent the early hours at the Emmanuel Church further along Broad Street – they have since been allowed to return to their homes.

Broad Street and the lower part of White Hill has been closed until further notice with up to four crews expected to remain on the scene throughout the day.

Do you have pictures of the fire? Email them to bfpnews@london.newsquest.co.uk

Incident commander Richard Priest said: "The main concern initially was the risk of the fire spreading to surrounding properties.

"As a precaution, residents in a terrace of houses on one side of the building and the flats above the shops on the other side were evacuated.

"Thanks to some very effective firefighting by the first crews to arrive, the fire has been contained and suppressed.

"Although the fire has now been brought under control, it is likely that we will be here for the rest of the day."

Liz McCarthy said she was woken at about 4.30am by firefighters hooking up their hoses to a fire hydrant just outside her home in Franchise Street.

She added: “We could see the flashing lights of the fire engines and the bright light of the fire coming through the curtains. I looked out of my bedroom window and the whole area was just covered in smoke.

“It's a huge loss to the area – I mean, I was planning on holding my 40th birthday party there, it was a very popular and well used venue.”

Crews from Chesham, Amersham, Great Missenden, Beaconsfield, Aylesbury, Stokenchurch, Berkhamsted and Tring attended the scene, alongside a canteen van from Aylesbury.