A BLAZE broke out at a £3m. Nelson leisure centre in the early hours of this morning.
The fire started in the cafe area at Pendle Wavelengths at around 2am.
Fire crews were called in to the Leeds Road leisure facility after a fridge in the kitchen caught fire.
Firefighters entered the centre with breathing apparatus to tackle the flames which had spread to a drinks machine and across work surfaces.
The blaze was brought under control but the drinks cooler and fridge were badly damaged and the kitchen suffered moderate smoke damage.
Fire chiefs believe the blaze was caused by an electrical fault in the appliance.
Phil Storey, chief executive of the Pendle Leisure Trust which runs Wavelengths, said the cafe will remain closed for repairs but the centre will be open for business as usual.
He said: “It is a blow. Especially during the summer holidays. But it could have been a lot worse. There have been no people involved so from that point of view we are quite grateful that no-one was affected by the fire directly.
“The fire brigade dealt with it very effectively. The fire was contained to the kitchen area.
“It is unlikely the cafe will be open for a while. But everything else in the building will be open as usual.
“The pool is OK and we were able to open for the Early Bird session this morning.”
Mr Story said specialist cleaning teams are being brought up to clear up the damage and hoped work would be carried out soon to get the cafe reopened.