A BLAZE which destroyed one of Britain's maritime treasures, the Cutty Sark, is being treated as suspicious.Firefighters said the blaze damaged the entire 19th century ship when it broke out in the early hours of today.

A BLAZE which destroyed one of Britain's maritime treasures, the Cutty Sark, is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters said the blaze damaged the entire 19th century ship when it broke out in the early hours of today.

The wreckage of the ship will be inspected by investigators before the cause of the fire is likely to be discovered and announced.

Residents in Greenwich, south east London, where the ship is kept in a dry dock, were evacuated and police installed a 200-yard cordon around the ship after they were alerted to the blaze at around 4.45am.

The ship has been closed for a £25 million renovation and the Cutty Sark Trust said today that half of the planking had already been removed, along with all historic artefacts on board, for conservation work.