A suspected arson attack on a Grade II listed building in Northumberland has caused extensive damage and led to two arrests. Firefighters and other emergency services were called to Fenkle Street in Alnwick on Sunday after a fire broke out in the old Davidson building, with flames seen coming from the top of the structure.
Police treat fire as arson
Northumbria Police are treating the fire as arson, and two teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the incident. A spokesperson for the force said: “Just after 9pm yesterday (Sunday), we received a report of a fire ongoing at a premises on Fenkle Street in Alnwick.
“Emergency services colleagues attended at the time, and they currently remain on scene. At the current time, the fire is being treated as arson and last night, two teenage boys were arrested in connection with the incident. They currently remain in police custody.”
Fire crews remain on scene
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service sent five fire appliances to the large building fire at around 9pm in Alnwick town centre. Crews worked as part of a multi-agency response throughout the night to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings. Firefighters remained on scene on Monday morning, with a large section of the street taped off.
Roads in Alnwick town centre remain closed, with disruption expected to continue throughout the day. In a statement provided to Chronicle Live, the Mayor of Alnwick Geoff Watson said: "Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services were quickly on scene and did an excellent job of dealing with what was a major incident in the centre of Alnwick.
Appeal for information
“Fenkle Street is closed to traffic for the time being and the building itself, which is Grade II listed and extensively damaged, is cordoned off until an inspection of the structure can be carried out.”
Anyone with information which could help should send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use the live chat and report forms on the force’s website. For those unable to make contact via the above ways, call 101 and quote reference number: 26000431939.
