Police study CCTV film as arson inquiry into Cutty Sark blaze begins

Police have begun a search through hours of CCTV footage to discover whether the fire that swept through the Cutty Sark yesterday morning was started deliberately.

The damage to one of the country's most famous landmarks has been estimated at between £5m and £10m, but members of the Cutty Sark Trust were left ponderinghow much worse it could have been.

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The ship was undergoing a £25m restoration and most of its valuable interior, including the masts, the coach house, much of the planking, and the world's largest collection of figureheads, had been temporarily removed.

Police and fire officers have begun investigating what started the fire, which broke out at 4.45am. The site was protected by high wooden fencing, 24-hour security and CCTV, and no one had authorised access since work stopped on Friday evening.

Officially, the police and local authorities are keeping an open mind about the cause of the fire. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "The fire is being treated as suspicious at this stage and is being jointly investigated by the London Fire Brigade, Metropolitan Police Service and the Forensic Science Service. As soon as it is deemed safe to do so, fire investigators will access the hull to try to establish the cause of the fire."

Suspicion lingered yesterday that it was an arson attack. One senior figure from Greenwich council said: "How else would a fire break out and spread that quickly at that time of night?" Dogs from the police arson unit were taken on to the site yesterday afternoon.

The fire spread rapidly, sending up flames and thick black smoke. Forty firefighters brought it under control within two hours. No one was injured.

The Cutty Sark Trust launched an emotional appeal for funds to restore the damage. The Trust's chief executive, Richard Doughty, said: "When the original fabric of the ship is lost, the touch of the craftsman is lost, history is lost.

"To lose the timbers and iron frame of the ship is to lose not just maritime heritage but part of our national heritage."

The Trust was already in need of money, having raised £18m towards the £25m needed for restoration work before the fire. The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded five grants totalling £13.45m to the Cutty Sark Trust, including a £11.75m grant in September 2006 towards the current conservation project.

The ship had been due to reopen to the public in November 2009, after substantial repairs to the 138-year-old vessel. There was also a plan to raise the ship three metres off the ground to allow visitors to see it from underneath, but the Trust fears there could be a "significant delay". It now fears that delays in the restoration could add £10,000 a day to its costs.

The smell of burnt timber hung over the site as police and firefighters kept sightseers behind a rope cordon. All that could be seen of the ship was a skeleton of burnt planks and blackened steel rafters.

The visitors included the Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, who donned a hard hat to survey the damage. She said: "It's absolutely devastating. This is an icon, not just here in Greenwich but right around the world. We've had calls from well-wishers from around the world. This is a world famous ship and greatly loved. It's nothing short of a tragedy."

Paddy Pugh, from the conservation body English Heritage, described the damaged ship as the "Ferrari of the high seas". He told the BBC: "It's one of the genuine icons of London."

The Duke of Edinburgh, who is patron of the Cutty Sark Trust and was involved in having the ship towed to dry dock in Greenwich more than 52 years ago, will pay a visit to inspect the damage later today. The Queen and Prince Philip will be in Greenwich to open the new planetarium and education centre at the National Maritime Museum.

The site is watched by five CCTV cameras which were installed by Greenwich council, and other cameras inside the ship belonging to the Trust. There is also 24-hour security. Police appealed for any witnesses who may have noticed anything suspicious before 5am yesterday morning to come forward.