Blackpool Police are today (Tuesday 27th December) appealing for witnesses and footage following the blaze in Blackpool which has caused a town centre building to collapse.
As reported by Lytham St, Anne’s News, emergency services were called to Number 54 Church Street at 1.40 p.m. on Boxing Day following reports of a fire.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service worked throughout the afternoon and early evening to get the fire under control and it has since been extinguished.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation. Nobody has been arrested.
A scene remains in place and an area of Church Street has been closed. For the latest on the closure go to this Facebook page:
Anyone with information which could assist the Police’s investigation is asked to email forcecontrolroom@lancashire.police.uk or call 101, quoting log 592 of December 26, 2022.
Meanwhile, following the incident, for safety reasons Church Street is closed today (Tuesday 27th December) from the Beaverbrooks store to The Grand Theatre. Costa Coffee, The Grand Theatre and Beaverbrooks are open for trading but all the other shops within this stretch remain closed until further notice. Marks and Spencer can still be accessed via the Victoria Street entrance.
Kian King has said this on his Facebook page: ‘Fire search dogs have been to the scene to check if the fire was deliberate. I am not sure if it was yet but a comment on the first incident post suspects it was deliberate for insurance claim as part of there comment said, ‘My carer was on the phone to the fire brigade but a person who worked there told them not to it will be okay and minutes later the shop filled with smoke.’ It took crews about 3.5 minutes to attend the scene. The call was made at 13.40 on Monday 26th December 2022.’
Photographs from Kian King/Facebook
