Two boys aged 12 and 14 have been arrested on suspicion of arson following a major fire in Nottingham city centre. The incident took place at a residential property above the Escobar cocktail bar on Market Street.
Nottinghamshire Police said "no one was seriously injured". The teenagers are now in custody after they were arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.
Large-scale blaze causes disruption
The "large-scale blaze" started just after 10pm last night, with the public asked to avoid the area and some properties nearby evacuated. The incident also caused severe public transport disruption as the city's trams and many of its buses use Market Street, which was shut as emergency services were responding.
Other busy nearby roads such as Upper Parliament Street and Goldsmith Street were cordoned off. An investigation is now underway to establish how the fire started.
Emergency services respond
Superintendent Chris Pearson said: "This incident caused large-scale disruption to Nottingham city centre last night, but luckily no one was seriously injured."
"This is testament to the combined work of all emergency services coming together to protect the public from harm. While we are in the early stages of the investigation to determine how the fire was caused, we have arrested two boys on suspicion of arson and criminal damage."
"These arrests were made very quickly after we were called to the incident. Anyone who has not already spoken to us and has any information that could help with our investigation including dash cam or mobile phone footage is being asked to call 101 quoting incident number 0874 of the 5th October 2026 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Fire investigation to follow
Group Manager of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Richard Leighton, explained 12 fire engines were responding to the incident at its height. He said: "Crews worked extremely hard throughout the night to get the fire under control, and they’re still working to ensure there are no hot spots throughout the building."
"A fire investigation will commence later today to assist Nottinghamshire Police with their investigations."
