A congregation of 300 was evacuated from Wesley’s Chapel yesterday, when the electrical room in its basement caught fire because of a faulty fuse box.

It took 20 firefighters using four fire engines an hour and a half to fight the blaze. They had it under control by 2pm.

Part of the electrical room in the basement of the methodist church was damaged.

The museum at the church is closed, because it has been left without electricity, and its phones, emails and lights are not working.

Administrators at the church in City Road, Shoreditch said the efficiency of the London Fire Brigade had saved them “from what might have been a very serious disaster”.

“We thank God that, once again, we know what it means to feel like a brand plucked from the burning,” they said in a statement.