Bank fire – three children arrested

THREE schoolchildren have so far been arrested on suspicion of starting the dramatic fire which gutted former bank offices in Skelmersdale.

The arrests come after fire crews from three counties were called to tackle a huge blaze at the former Co-op buildings on Tuesday night last week.

At the height of the fire, the flames could be seen for miles in all directions and roads were closed and residents ordered inside for their own safety.

Crews first arrived at around 7.45pm and remained there for well over 12 hours through the night. A spokesman for the fire service said that the scale of the fire meant the bulk of the damage was caused before crews could attend the scene.

Police believe a group of people went inside the building and set it alight before fleeing, and have so far arrested two boys and one girl.

The youngsters, aged just 13 and 14, have since been released under investigation.

A spokesman said: “We were called at around 7.50pm on Tuesday, September 15, to reports of a fire at the derelict site on Westgate. We attended and found offenders had entered the building and set it alight before making off.

“A short time later we arrested three teenagers from Skelmersdale on suspicion of criminal damage – arson not endangering life. The