Firemen make the roof safe after the blaze on Saturday. Picture: Paul Amos.

by Sian Napier

THE former PROMIS recovery centre at Pinner’s Hill, Nonington was destroyed in a fire late on Saturday evening.
Fire crews from Aylesham and Eastry were called to the empty building just before 11pm and asked for more help from other stations, including Canterbury and a height vehicle.
The main seat of the blaze was on the second and third floors and a building control officer from Dover District Council was also called because of concern over the building’s stability.
There was no threat to the public as the former centre, which treated different forms of addiction, is in an isolated spot but an unsupported chimney stack was a threat to fire crews.
Two pumps stayed at the scene until Sunday evening making sure the blaze was out. The building is now structurally unstable and fire-fighters, police and building control officers were due to return to the house today (Monday) to carry out further investigation into the cause.
For many years the building was run by the founder, Dr Robert Lefever, and his son Robin. It used the Minnesota Method, a 12-step programme used by Alcoholics Anonymous.