A teenage girl was arrested for arson following the devastating Liverpool fire earlier this week. The 14-year-old was bailed after being questioned in custody — with UK police officials also sharing a message for parents in the area. The fire at the historic manor house is believed to have been started deliberately on Tuesday night.
The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service had spent all night extinguishing the flames before launching a joint investigation to establish the cause of the fire. Initial enquiries suggest that it was a deliberate act. The police reportedly arrested and questioned the schoolgirl on Wednesday.
Historic manor gutted
Emergency services were called Speke Road on Tuesday night after a blaze engulfed Woolton Hall. The historic Grade I-listed manor built in 1704 was heavily damaged in the fire. Officials believe that the fire was started deliberately and “appears to have been an extremely reckless act at a historic building”.
A fire had also damaged the building in 2019 — with police treating it as an arson attack. The historical building had served as a hotel, an army hospital, a convent and even as a school over the decades. It had fallen into disrepair in recent years and remains abandoned at present.
Arson or accident?
According to reports, a large group of young people were seen on the grounds around 8:20 pm on Tuesday. The police later released a statement urging parents to check on the whereabouts of their children and come forward with relevant information. People who had driven through the area on Tuesday have also been asked to contact the police with relevant dashcam footage.
“This appears to have been an extremely reckless act at a historic building that has stood at the site for hundreds of years…We received reports of youths congregating near the hall shortly before the fire was reported, and we would appeal to anyone who was there or knows who was there to contact police,” reports quoted Merseyside Police official Daniel McWhinnie as saying.