Arson blamed for huge fire at Liverpool landmark
POLICE believe the cause of a huge fire that damaged parts of the iconic former Littlewoods Pools building in Liverpool was arson.
The roof and an upper floor of a wing of the Thirties art deco building were feared to have been destroyed after flames took hold on Sunday evening.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said crews were confronted with a “significant” blaze.
However, firefighters were able to prevent the whole site being engulfed and the structure’s integrity was thought to have withstood the fire.
A Merseyside Police spokesman said: “The extent of damage and structural safety of the building is being assessed, and a fire investigator has established it is believed to be a case of deliberate ignition.”
The former Littlewoods Pools building has lain empty since 2003, although a £50million scheme to transform the site had recently been announced.
Among the proposals was to build film and TV studios, potentially bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.
Joe Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool, said the fire was “absolutely heartbreaking” and “a real setback”.
“Let’s hope and pray it’s salvageable,” he wrote on Twitter.
The fire service said it was called to the building at 7.52pm on Sunday and the fire was declared to be under control around 1.30am yesterday. Fire crews remained at the scene early yesterday to damp down the site.
Adam Higgins, the co-founder of Capital & Centric, the building’s developer, said the blaze had started in the west wing, which is known for its tower. “So far, all the walls remain intact and obviously they are the bits that are really iconic to people from the city,” he said. The building, on Edge Lane, was built in 1938 and was part of the football pools’ coupons arm of the Littlewoods empire, built up by Sir John Moores, the self-made tycoon.