Ebbw Vale gym fire probe begins

An investigation is now underway following a suspicious blaze which tore through a former gym building in Blaenau Gwent last Sunday morning.

Firefighters from Ebbw Vale, Tredegar, Cwmbran, Blaina and Brynmawr were called to the fire at Lakeside Gym just after 5am where they battled for over three hours in order to get the blaze under control.

Only one appliance was needed by 9am to damp down the embers but the fire had already caused substantial damage to the building, which is located above Festival Park and has been unused for the past three years.

A spokesman for Gwent Police explained how there were doubts over whether the gym was structurally safe and Blaenau Gwent council were due to look at it before the investigation could get underway. He said:

“The area is not safe to check until it has cooled down. Only after a structural engineer has looked at it, can we get on there with fire investigators to determine if the fire was deliberate or accidental.”

A South Wales Fire and Rescue service spokeswoman has confirmed that this has now been done and so the probe is now being carried out into the cause of the blaze to see if the fire was the result of an arson attack.