A towering bonfire built for the Ripley Bonfire event has been burnt down just days before the community celebration was due to take place.

The blaze, in the early hours of Tuesday, October 21, destroyed the four-metre-high pile of wooden pallets that volunteers from the Ripley Bonfire Association had spent almost a month constructing.

The bonfire was due to be the centrepiece of the event on Saturday, October 25, which attracts thousands from across the Woking area.

The cause has not yet been confirmed, but organisers believe it may have been started deliberately.

Steve Hill, chairman of the association, said he was devastated when he received a middle-of-the-night phone call about the blaze.

He said: “We’d been building it for about four weeks and had just finished it on Sunday. I was gutted beyond words when I found out, it reduced me to tears.

“I can’t believe why anyone would want to do this. It was a huge bonfire and we raise so much for charity, it’s just gutting really.”

Mr Hill said he suspected arson after various incendiary materials were believed to have been found at the site. Despite the setback, he said he had been overwhelmed by the response from the community.

“At the end of the day the event is still going to go on,” he said. “We’ll endeavour to rebuild it as best as we can, but it’s incurred us a lot more costs with skips and tractors to clear the burnt ash.

He thanked the community for offering to help in the aftermath of the fire.

“The response has been unbelievable,” said Mr Hill. “We’ve had offers of materials for far more than we actually need. I’m gobsmacked at the generosity and spirit of people wanting to help out.”

The Ripley Bonfire, traditionally held on the last Saturday of October to avoid clashing with Poppy Appeal fundraising, attracts up to 12,000 people each year and raises thousands for local charities. Last year’s event brought in more than £8,500.

Cllr Caroline Bimson, of Ripley Parish Council, said she was “shocked and saddened” by the blaze but optimistic the event would still draw in the crowds.

“We’re hopeful we can still get as many people along on Saturday,” she said. “All the amazing fireworks will still happen, and the bonfire will still go ahead. Fingers crossed it will be as big as previous years.”

A Surrey Police spokesperson said: “Police received a report of arson near Ripley Green Road at approximately 1.20am on Tuesday, October 21. Our enquiries into the circumstances of this report are ongoing.”

A spokesperson for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to a fire in High Street, Ripley today at 12.57am. One fire engine was sent to deal with the out-of-control bonfire.

“Believed to be deliberate, the police were informed of the incident and will be investigating. We left the scene at 3:29am.”

The Ripley Bonfire event is still taking place on Saturday, with more information at www.ripleybonfire.co.uk