Shock blaze at surgery is under investigation
POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS PROBE THE CAUSE OF MYSTERY FIRE
SHOCKED residents have spoken out after a fire broke out at a GP surgery yesterday.
Firefighters were called in the early hours to the surgery in Mansfield following the incident. It is not yet known if the incident is suspicious and enquiries are continuing, police say.
Police and firefighters were on the scene at Wood Street at around 5am yesterday when a fire was discovered inside.
There was no report of any injuries.
Juliette Bradley, 39, from Ladybrook, said: “I walked past the surgery this morning on my way into the town centre and saw a lot of emergency services on Wood Street.
“At the time I hadn’t heard anything about what happened, I was looking on social media to try and find out.
“If it was deliberate then it is absolutely disgraceful. Why someone would break into a doctor’s surgery is beyond me but to start a fire is inexcusable.”
Robert Warner, 46, a shopper in the town centre, said: “For anyone to target the NHS during the pandemic is reprehensible in my opinion.
“It’s going to affect all the people who need GP appointments at the surgery and could be a problem for people if they started doing the vaccine there.
“There’s no community spirit here anymore.”
Diane Spence, 61, a passerby from the area, said: “I saw the post from the doctors surgery circulating on Facebook earlier.
“I’m hoping it wasn’t targeted or on purpose with everything that’s going on. The NHS are helping us all through this coronavirus and it wouldn’t be right for someone to purposely target them.”
Nottinghamshire Police’s Detective Inspector Kim Binns is leading the investigation.
She said: “Firefighters and police officers were swiftly on the scene following a report of a fire to a surgery in Mansfield.
“Officers closed the surrounding roads following the incident.
“A joint fire and police investigation began this morning and we are appealing if anyone can help with our enquiries to come forward.
“There has been no report of any injuries and we have not established yet whether it is suspicious.”
Patients are asked not to turn up at the surgery and telephone the practice on its usual number if they need to arrange an appointment.
A spokesperson from the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group added: “Appointments are still being carried out over the phone and if a face-to-face appointment is needed, staff will give instructions to patients on where to go which includes neighbouring practices, where Roundwood surgery staff will be waiting to see them.”
If anyone saw anything suspicious or have any information please call the police by calling 101, quoting incident number 69 of February 2, 2021.