Arson suspected in Gloucester fire

A fire which broke out in a derelict building in Gloucester on Saturday is thought to be arson.

The blaze, which broke out at around 1.30pm on Saturday, led to one of Gloucester’s busiest streets being closed off for the afternoon causing chaos for local businesses.

Local landlord Mark Summerell said: “We saw smoke coming out of the building so called the fire service. It took a while to get the building inspector here. If he’d been away for the bank holiday it could have cost us a few more quid. I don’t understand why they just can’t flatten the building anyway. It’s coming down one day either way.”

Firefighters were initially concerned that the building might collapse and was cordoned off for several hours.  The building was declared safe by structural engineers from Gloucester City Council and the area was reopened at around 4.30pm.

Inspector Simon Todd from Gloucestershire Police has confirmed that they area treating the fire as arson.