More than three weeks after a major fire broke out at Nottingham railway station, police have arrested a 33-year old woman on suspicion of arson.
On 12 January ten fire crews were called to the scene to save the burning station from a fire that began in a set of women’s toilets – an area of the building that had only recently been renovated in a multi-million-pound project.
However, on 2 February a Derby woman was arrested in connection with the fire. British Transport Police later released the woman under police investigation after interrogation.
“[…] the fire was already “well developed” by the time fire crews were able to reach the scene, resulting in the severe blaze that lasted 12 hours.”
The rush-hour blaze required sixty firefighters and caused serious disruptions for commuters. The cost of the damage has run up into the millions and some parts of the station still remain out of use.
A former director of the Fire Protection Association commented that in his experience, toilets are a “favourite arson point”.
The fire also ignited controversy about the lack of a functioning sprinkler system at the station, with Nottingham Fire and Rescue incident commander, Bryn Coleman, noting that the fire could have been “contained to the toilet block” causing “less damage”.
However, in their absence, the fire was already “well developed” by the time fire crews were able to reach the scene, resulting in the severe blaze that lasted 12 hours.
“I don’t feel safe in Nottingham anymore.”
One university student, Will, expressed his frustration that a building as large as Nottingham station was legally allowed to go without sprinklers.
Mature student, Ashna, wasn’t surprised by the criminal nature of the fire. She told Impact, “I don’t feel safe in Nottingham anymore.”
Police are still searching for witnesses and urge anyone at the station between 5am and 6.30am to contact British Transport Police.
Michael Rozelle
Featured image courtesy of ‘Elliott Brown‘ via Flickr. License here.
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