Fire at Wirral Lesuire Centre treated as arson
A fire at Birkenhead's Europa Pools is being treated as arson
A fire at Birkenhead's Europa Pools is being treated as arson
At around 5.35pm on Wednesday, a report was received from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service of appliances at the scene dealing with a fire on the roof of Europa Pools on Conway Street.
It is believed that the fire originated in foliage at the back of the leisure centre and spread to the roof.
Police and fire investigators attended and the building was made safe at 8.40pm. All persons at the premises were evacuated safely by staff and one child was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, but was discharged.
The leisure centre remains closed today and a joint police and fire investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances.
Inspector Kate Wilkinson said: "There were around 150 people at Europa Pools when this fire started, including young children, and it is only due to the prompt response of staff and emergency services that nobody was injured.
"We are keen to speak with anyone who may have seen a group at the rear of the building acting suspiciously around 5.30pm. Any details you can provide, however small, may be key to our investigation."