Victoria Hall fire: Fire service 'unable to determine if South Shields blaze was malicious'

Firefighters at the scene of the Victoria Hall blaze in South Shields. Photo by Liam Christopher Walker.

Firefighters have been unable to determine if a blaze in a historic South Shields building was started deliberately.

Flames ripped through the fabric of the Grade II-listed Victoria Hall on the night of Saturday, May 29, causing ‘heartbreaking’ damage to the structure of the building in Fowler Street.

Damage to the building’s roof can be seen prominently on the town’s skyline, and the incident sparked calls for action to be taken to secure the building’s future.

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Northumbria Police investigated the blaze in the days following the bank holiday weekend incident.

The fire service said it could not determine whether or not the fire had been ‘malicious’, and police said no crimes had been detected.

A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “An investigation was carried out at Victoria Hall by the Police and Fire Service due to the severity and damage to the building we were unable to determine if the fire was caused maliciously.

"Ongoing communication is continuing between Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and Northumbria Police.”

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “An investigation was carried out with Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service (TWFRS) into the cause of the fire at the Victoria Hall in South Shields on the evening of May 29.

“As things stand, the cause of the fire is not believed to be malicious with no criminal offences detected.

“Anyone with information can contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log 1399 290521.”

Plans have since been approved to convert the building into an ‘aparthotel’.

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