Arson suspected after fire at listed building
BBCA fire at a Grade II* listed building is being investigated as arson, police have said.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the Mechanics' Institute in Emlyn Square, Swindon, at 06:17 BST after reports of a fire.
The building, which was once used as a self-contained community for railway workers, has been empty since 1986 and has been on The Theatre Trust's at risk register since the list began in 2006.
Wiltshire Police has said it was investigating a case of suspected arson at the derelict building after "a number of youths" were seen nearby.
"Extensive searches have been carried out of the premises and nobody was located inside and no injuries have been reported," a police spokesperson added.
Police have appealed for dashcam footage from the area and asked for "anyone who saw or heard any suspicious behaviour" between 19:00 BST on Thursday and 07:00 to reach out.
The building was owned by the workers of the GWR, then owned by British Rail. When it closed in 1986, it was put up for sale and bought by Forefront Estates in 2003.
The company was dissolved in 2012, owing Swindon Borough Council an estimated £1.2m.
In 2020, Swindon Borough Council said it would start work on a compulsory purchase order to acquire the building, but that is yet to happen.
A spokesperson from Swindon Borough Council said: "We will be sending a team out to secure the building as soon as the fire service say it is safe to do so and will then seek to recover the costs of this work from the owner."
The Mechanics' Institute, built in 1855, is also on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.
At the scene, Swindon Heritage Preservation chairman Bob Wright said he had been alerted to the fire by a member of his team.
"It's just not a safe building. It's been totally ignored," he said.
Jason Spickett, a drone operator from Freshbrook, had driven into Swindon and noticed the commotion.
"[There were] three fire engines on site," he said. "I saw one aerial platform dousing water onto the side of the building.
"It's a case now where they're monitoring the situation. I think it's been a close call."
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