Artist speaks after Chesterfield’s bee sculpture hit by fire

The wooden piece of artwork, situated outside the Crooked Spire church, went up in flames on Monday night.

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Following an investigation, firefighters believe the blaze was accidental.

The bee, which was unveiled in 2015 as part of a campaign to highlight the plight of the winged insects, was created by Derbyshire wood sculptor Andrew Frost

He told the Derbyshire Times: “It’s a shame to see what’s happened – but I think it can be repaired.

“It was on an exposed elm tree stump which was probably bone dry and a bit decayed – so if someone stubbed out a cigarette on it, it wouldn’t take much to set it alight.

“I need to see if I can get it to my workshop to hopefully repair it and get it reinstated.”

Andrew said the bee has sadly been vandalised ‘quite a bit’ since it was installed.

“Its wings were pulled off a few years ago,” he added.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service described Monday’s blaze as a ‘sad’ incident.

They said crews from Staveley were called to the fire shortly after 6pm.

“We used a hose reel jet to extinguish,” the spokesperson added.

They said firefighters liaised with Chesterfield Borough Council and studied CCTV footage but this ‘proved inconclusive’.

The spokesperson said: “We put the cause down as accidental ignition.”

Residents have taken to social media to express their sadness after seeing the ruined sculpture.

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