Charles Spencer confirms fire at Princess Diana's childhood home citing 'youths in balaclavas'

Firefighters have been called to tackle a blaze at the late Diana, Princess of Wales' childhood home.

The fire broke out in an empty industrial unit at Althorp House in England's Northamptonshire on Sunday afternoon (Monday morning in Australia).

Lady Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer, who owns the property, took to X to share news of the fire and his gratitude to the Northhamptonshire fire brigade, who tamed the flames.

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"Grateful to ⁦@northantsfire⁩ for tackling a blaze in an empty ⁦@AlthorpHouse⁩ industrial unit this afternoon," he wrote.

While no cause of the fire has been reported at current, Spencer shared what he alleged some passersby had claimed to have witnessed.

"Eyewitnesses heard bangs [and] saw 'youths in balaclavas' running [and] biking away – then saw the smoke and flames," he wrote on X.

According to Spencer, the property was empty at the time of the fire and no one was hurt.

"Thankfully no one hurt [and] the trees seem safe," he wrote.

At the same time, Spencer took to his Instagram Story with a photo taken from the road outside the property. In the photo, bystanders watch as smoke billows from the site of the fire.

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In the caption, Spencer claimed that the blaze was started by the aforementioned "youths".

"Fire started by youths in balaclavas this afternoon, in an industrial unit on the estate at Althorp," he wrote. "Thanks to @northantsfire for their bravery."

According to the BBC, Northhamptonshire Fire & Rescue were earlier tending to a blaze in a property just over three kilometres from Althorp House.

Diana spent her childhood and teenage years at Althorp House, a 90-room stately home, prior to marrying King Charles III in 1981.

Located an hour-and-a-half's drive out of the capital, it was built in 1508 and has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations.

The Spencers have lived at Althorp for 500 years and over that time the estate has developed an impressive history.

Not just one grand property, the estate covers 13,000 acres (approx. 5261 hectares) of countryside.

It encompasses cottages, farms, woodlands and villages, which combine to give a rich mix of landscapes, habitats and activities. It is, perhaps, most famous now for being the final resting place of Diana.

Diana was buried on September 6, 1997, within a mausoleum on the Oval Lake, on an island in the middle of the Althorp estate. There is no public access to the island.

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