Two 14-year-old boys arrested over fire which destroyed Preston nightclub

Drone footage from Bill Whittle

A second 14-year-old boy has been arrested as part of an investigation into a fire which destroyed a former nightclub in Preston.

The fire broke out on the evening of Thursday 19 May in the former Odeon cinema and Tokyo Jo's nightclub on Church Street.

The building was partly derelict and partly used by businesses at the time. A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Friday 20 May on suspicion of arson.

Detectives were given an extra 12 hours to question him but he has now been released on police bail pending further enquiries, until June. On Saturday 21 May, a second 14-year-old boy has also been arrested. He has since been released on police bail until 1 June.

Road closures are in place around the building and the area is also closed to pedestrians, as emergency demolition work continues.

It is expected this will be completed by Monday 23 May. For more information visit www.preston.gov.uk or follow @prestoncouncil on Twitter.

A joint investigation between Lancashire Police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is underway to establish the cause of the fire. Det Insp George Binns, from Preston CID, said: “We have made two arrests and an investigation is very much ongoing. “We are continuing to ask anybody with information about the fire to come forward. Perhaps you were in the area at the time and saw something suspicious, or perhaps you have other information that could help us. “Whatever you know, we would ask you to get in touch as soon as possible.” Anybody with information is asked to call 101, quoting log 1347 of 19 May.