THE HIVE library is set to reopen on Monday following Thursday night's fire.

Firefighters were forced to break through a ground floor window to tackle the blaze that started at 6.30pm, and no one was hurt as the building was empty at the time.

Fire crews from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were on the scene within minutes and stayed for around four hours making the area safe.

A statement has been released by Worcestershire County Council this evening (Friday) that described it as a small fire in the kitchens of the library's cafe.

The authority said early investigations showed damage has been caused to the kitchens and parts of the cafe.

The statement said there was smoke damage in the children’s library and in one of the meeting rooms, but the rest of the building - that was opened by The Queen in 2012 - is unscathed.

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A clean up operation is set to take place this weekend, cleaning up the damage including the large amount of soot around the building and on the upper levels.

Safety checks are also planned ahead of the re-opening on Monday.

The county council added no damage has been caused to the archives.

The statement from Worcestershire County Council and the University of Worcester said: “We’re looking at a phased reopening of The Hive from Monday.

"It will remain closed tomorrow whilst the clean-up operation takes place.

“We would like to thank Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service for all their efforts in attending the fire last night and also our colleagues at Bellrock who have done an amazing job especially getting rid of large amounts of water.”