Crooked House: police treating devastating fire as arson
Staffordshire Police have given an update into their investigation.
Last updated 9th Aug 2023
A fire which destroyed an historic pub in the Black Country is being treated as arson, police have confirmed.
The Crooked House on Himley Road caught fire last Saturday (5 August), with up to 30 firefighters needed to tackle the blaze.
Staffordshire Police said on Wednesday evening: "This fire has shocked and upset so many given the, albeit not listed, cultural importance and heritage of the building.
"This is not lost on us and a robust investigation using all available information and forensic opportunities is being carried out."
The police said they have spoken to the owners of the pub and continued to engage with them.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Chisholm, Head of Specialist Crime, said: “We understand the significance of this much-loved building and the upset and anger felt by many so want to reassure you we’re doing all we can to understand more about what happened, and who was responsible.
“There is lots of misinformation circulating within communities and online and this is unhelpful. We’re trying to provide accurate and timely updates, but as I am sure you can appreciate, there is a lot of work and liaison with a number of partners which needs to be completed and this takes time.
“There are also certain things that police and fire do not have the powers to deal with, the decision around partial demolition of the building for example, when the scene was handed back to the owner.
“We are working hard with our fire colleagues to understand the cause of the fire and are in contact with the landowner, we will keep you updated with any further significant developments.”
Investigations ongoing
Staffordshire Police said a joint investigation with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is ongoing and they are liaising closely with fire investigators. The cause of the fire cannot currently be determined, it said.
Officers have revisited the site today (9 August) with a specialist accelerant detection dog to investigate the grounds.
The building was levelled on Monday, despite South Staffordshire Council stating that they had permitted only the top floor to be demolished for safety reasons.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the leader of South Staffordshire Council, Councillor Roger Lees, said: "Our officers carried out a site visit to the site yesterday, prior to the demolition of the building.
"Officers agreed a programme of works with the landowner's representative to ensure the safety of the building and the wider site.
"The agreed course of action included the removal of three elements of the first-floor front elevation only. This was only to avoid the weak parts of the structure from falling.
"At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary."
Questions remain
Questions continue to be asked about why the Crooked House was completely demolished within days of the fire.
In a letter to Chief Constable Chris Noble of Staffordshire Police, Dudley North MP Marco Longhi questioned whether police were notified of the demolition, which took place on Monday.
In the letter Mr Longhi said: "The lack of information being provided to the public has raised animosity amongst the local community in relation to the investigation.
"As an MP even I am not encouraged by the way matters were dealt with by the relevant authorities.
"To make matters worse, this site was demolished the day after it caught fire, which raises strong questions.
"If the police are investigating the fire incident, then why would the site be demolished whilst the police are conducting their enquiries, which may possibly require a forensic examination to gather evidence?"
Mr Longhi asked the force about who was responsible for demolishing the site, whether police were notified and if so, why they did not intervene if it could have interfered with their investigation, and also whether the force was in correspondence with other authorities.
The council said on Tuesday that it was exploring whether the total demolition constituted a breach of the law and stated that it had not agreed to "the demolition of the whole structure", nor deemed it necessary following an inspection.