FIRE investigators believe a blaze that badly damaged a club's concert room may have been arson.

Three Durham City fire crews fought the fire in the single-storey room at Brandon and District Social Club, Commercial Street, Brandon, at 5.30am yesterday.

No one was hurt and the blaze was contained to one side of the room but the club was heavily smokelogged.

Divisional Officer Ian Dockerty, of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Brigade, said: "When the crews arrived, there were flames coming out of a back window.

"We sent in two crew members, wearing breathing apparatus, with a hose reel to extinguish the flames.

"The fire got into the roof void but did not break through because it is steel-clad.

"The crews, one was a retained crew, did a very good job in bringing the fire under control very quickly. I'm surprised there wasnot more damaged.''

He said a fire investigator and a police scenes-of-crime officer had been looking into the cause of the blaze, which was being treated as suspicious.

Club secretary Mary Wallace said the cost and extent of the damage was being assessed.

She said the blaze might force the cancellation of Christmas parties and functions booked in the room.

"We have something on right up until January, with Christmas parties and things like that. We don't know yet if we'll have to cancel them,'' she said.

The club was closed yesterday and could be shut again today.

On Monday night, in Chester-le-Street, customers were evacuated from the G W Horner pub, in Front Street, when fire broke out in a cellar.

The blaze, which caused minor damage, was caused by a fusebox fault, and put out by the manager before firefighters arrived.