A derelict tobacco warehouse in Liverpool’s Stanley Dock has been damaged after a fire tore through the premises on Tuesday (13th March).
Fifty firefighters were called to the Grade-II listed site, which until recently was the home of the city’s Heritage Market, at 8.20pm, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Crews battled the large-scale blaze for four hours, with the last emergency officers leaving the site at 2am.
Kirkdale station watch manager Bill Shepherd told the news provider: “We had difficulty getting in at first because of security, we had to gain entry by cutting the padlock off.
“The blaze must have been around 100 metres by 50 metres. It was a big fire – the biggest I have been to for some time.”
A ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.
Merseyside police and fire chiefs are set to launch a joint investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.
Source – FIA