Sports centre ravaged by fire

staff at a North Yorkshire sports centre say they have been left ‘devastated’ following a huge blaze which gutted the building yesterday morning – less than two years after a £1.1m refurbishment. The fire at Selby’s Abbey Leisure Centre caused parts of the town to be sealed off as fire crews were scrambled from across the region after the alarm was raised at 6.30am. A Selby District Council spokesman said: ‘Everyone associated with the centre has been left devastated by this fire but we are thankful and grateful that nobody has been injured.’ Fire chiefs said the blaze started in the sauna area. Crews piped water from a nearby beck to fight the fire.