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George Harrison Hindu temple barn fire was 'accidental'

Bhaktivedanta Manor The fire at Bhaktivedanta ManorBhaktivedanta Manor
The fire at Bhaktivedanta Manor broke out at about 13:00 on Friday

A fire which ripped through a hay barn near to a temple donated by George Harrison was "accidental".

The fire at the Bhaktivedanta Manor spiritual retreat in Aldenham, near Watford, happened at about 13:00 BST on Friday.

The hay barn was destroyed but the Hare Krishna temple, donated by The Beatles star, was saved and reopened for worship soon after.

The fire service said the blaze was accidental.

A spokesman said: "The incident was closed down Monday afternoon following a series of re-inspections by fire crews over the weekend and [Monday] morning."

Managing director Gauri Das said they would rebuild the barn.

Bhaktivedanta Manor The burnt out shell of the hay barn at Bhaktivedanta ManorBhaktivedanta Manor
The hay barn was destroyed by the fire

Harrison donated Bhaktivedanta Manor to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in 1973.

It is the UK headquarters of the Hare Krishna movement, which is a branch of Hinduism.

The retreat hosts Janmashtami, the largest Hindu festival in Europe, which marks the birth of Krishna, a popular God in the Hindu Pantheon.