GMP and GMFRS issue devastating update on fire ravaged Hotspur Press building
Police & fire chiefs have issued a joint and devastating update on a fire ravaged building.
An investigation into how a blaze started at the Hotspur Press building has now been closed due to its "extremely dangerous" condition.
On Monday, June 23, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) were called to a massive fire at the Hotspur Press building on Cambridge Street in Manchester.
A major incident was declared with over 20 fire engines, two aerial units and more than 100 firefighters, including colleagues from neighbouring services, called on to tackle the blaze and evacuate people.
The fire caused devastating damage to the site. Following the incident, the building owners, developers, and demolition contractors have been working alongside Manchester City Council's Planning and Dangerous Buildings Inspectors to work out a safe and coordinated approach that could enable joint investigative work between GMFRS Fire Investigation Teams and Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Despite this work, it has not been possible to make the building safe enough for a full forensic investigation.
External investigations by GMP, including extensive CCTV analysis, have produced no evidence to suggest anyone was in or around the building at the time of the incident.
In a joint statement, GMP and GMFRS said: “Due to the extensive damage sustained to the building in the fire, the site remains in an extremely dangerous condition.
“It is our joint professional opinion that the building cannot be made safe enough to allow a thorough forensic investigation into the cause of the fire.
“Furthermore, any potential forensic evidence is likely to have been destroyed in the blaze.”
They added that, based on the information available to the multi-agency team involved, there is no intelligence or evidence to suggest anyone was in the building at the time of the fire.
They said: “We have worked extensively with partners to preserve the scene to give us the best possible chance to fully examine the building.
“However, too much damage was done by the fire for this to be feasible.
“We have therefore now closed the scene and no further investigation will be taking place, with the site handed back to the building owners.”
The former mill site was built between 1801 and 1882 and was originally used for textile manufacturing before being converted to a printing press by Percy Brothers Ltd in 1903 and was used as such until 2011.