Blurton club fire: Arson investigation launched
An arson investigation has been launched by police after a fire at a former working men's club in Staffordshire on Monday night.
Emergency services were called to the disused Old Mills Working Men's Club and Institute on Sherbourne Close, Blurton, at about 20:40 BST.
More than 25 firefighters took three and a half hours to bring the blaze under control.
The building will now need to be demolished, Staffordshire Police said.
Nobody is believed to have been injured in the fire. Local roads were closed overnight, while firefighters monitored hotspots and damped down.
A joint investigation by Staffordshire Police and the fire service has concluded that it was started deliberately.
Det Insp Steve Morrey said it had been a "large-scale fire" which had attracted a lot of attention from the local community.
He added that officers wanted to trace a group of young people who were seen entering the building at about 19:30 BST.
Police appealed for anyone with information to contact them.