JOBSEEKERS have been given alternative arrangements after fire hit a town's JobCentre premises.
The blaze, which caused severe damage to the centre in Seaham in the early hours of Saturday, is not believed to have been started deliberately, police have said.
Firefighters who were called to the incident arrived in Viceroy Street to find the building well alight, shortly after 1am.
Three fire crews spent more than an hour-and-a-half tackling the blaze, which took hold through most of the two-storey building.
Acting Inspector Kevin Langan, of Peterlee police, said: "The premises were badly burned and are totally unusable.
"It looks like it's going to need a total rebuild job, on the face of it.
"It was so badly burned it was almost impossible to say why it started, but the scenes of crime people are now saying it's not believed to be suspicious."
He added: "I'm told it was possibly an electrical fault."
Clients with JobCentre appointments will be notified by post of the alternative arrangements.
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