A huge fire that gutted a 130-year-old church is still smouldering, more than 15 hours after the blaze started.
The Grade-II listed Bethel Community Church, on Stow Hill in Newport was destroyed after a fire spread from a neighbouring derelict nightclub.
At its peak, 95 firefighters and officers were on the scene, but no-one is understood to have been injured.
The church's pastor, Andrew Cleverly, said: "Our building may be gone, but the church is alive."
A statement on the church's website said: "Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are saddened by the devastating fire that has occurred."
An investigation into the cause of the blaze cannot begin until it is safe for investigators to go inside the building.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service received dozens of 999 calls just after 18:15 BST on Friday.
The blaze broke out in the former nightclub known as Zanzibar, Heights 2000 and latterly Escapade.
Mr Cleverly said it was "a traumatic scene" when he arrived to see the building on fire.
He added: "The church building is completely razed to the ground, it's just four walls left. It was very sad - a lot of people were upset, holding hands and crying - there was absolutely nothing you could do."
More than 40 people were evacuated from nearby buildings and were taken to Newport Centre.
Stagecoach Wales tweeted that the road expected to remain closed for much of Saturday and would affect some of its services.
A cordon on Stow Hill and North Street remains around the church and former nightclub and fire crews are expected to remain on the scene for most of Saturday.
Crews from as far as Cardiff helped tackle the blaze as 19 appliances, including 10 fire engines, were used to contain the fire.
Welsh Water sent tankers to the scene on Friday to ease the demand on the water supply.
A spokeswoman said: "As the fire is still ongoing, some customers in the Stow Hill area may notice a drop in water pressure or discoloured water. We have sent text messages to those who may be affected."