ARSON has been deemed the cause of a fire that damaged the iconic Richard Dunn Sports Centre building on Tuesday night.
The significant damage to the listed but derelict building, in Odsal, Bradford, has prompted calls for Bradford Council to investigate security measures at the site.
Up to eight fire pumps were called to the scene at around 6.45pm and quick-thinking firefighters had to deploy unusual tactics to extinguish the flames, with their efforts applauded by leading local politicians.
As investigations were carried out on Wednesday, images emerged showing the extent of the damage, which revealed burned-out roofing material and a hole in the building.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Police are investigating a suspicious fire at Richard Dunn Sports Centre.
"Investigations between the fire service and the police are ongoing.
"A crime of arson has been recorded."
The Conservative Group on Bradford Council has questioned the Council’s strategy for the security and long-term use of the site.
Cllr Debbie Davies (Cons, Baildon), Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group, said: “My Conservative Group colleagues and I have been unconvinced for quite some time now, that the Council has, or has had at any time, a coherent strategy regarding what to do with this, some might say ‘iconic’ building others might say 'carbuncle' of a building.
"Whilst the building was granted listed status by Historic England in 2022, it had been empty since 2019 and it already felt as if the Council was losing its grip on the situation.
"If they had demolished the building immediately, it would never have been listed, or once it had been listed, had information been forthcoming about a 'Plan B', we might have been reassured that the Labour Council had some sort of direction or plan, instead there has been an ongoing impression of aimless drifting.
"This sorry state of affairs is what prompted me to submit written questions to Full Council. In July 2022, when I asked about the costs of securing the site since closure, I was told the cost at that time for 'making the site and building secure from trespass, break-ins, theft and vandalism and to stop illegal entry into the building with the potential risk to human life' was £190,000.
"This prompted me to ask in a written question to council in December 2022 whether anything more could be done to secure the site.
"The part of the answer to the initial question whereby we were told that, whilst the site had been illegally occupied, the building was not broken into, contradicts the previous claim that the 'site and building' were secure.
"Monday’s blaze has shown the concerns of the Conservative Group to be well founded and we are grateful to the officers of the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service for their brilliant work in averting even more damage.
"I want to see the council arrange for an investigation as to how the guilty parties gained entry to the site and the building, when we know that a lot of money has been spent to prevent this.”
Cllr Davies added: “All members of the Council and all residents of Bradford district deserve to know what has gone on, what is going on and what the Council’s plans for the future of the site are, including a timescale.”
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “Council officers took steps to secure the site after the fire had been put out. We have arranged for on-site security to monitor the area."
Regarding the Listed status, the spokesperson added: “We appealed the Government’s decision to list the building, but the original decision was upheld late last year.”
Judith Cummins, MP for Bradford South, said: “This will clearly be very distressing for residents living near the site.
“I commend West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and other emergency services for their prompt and effective response to get the fire under control quickly.
West Yorkshire Police is also appealing to anyone who was in the area or who saw anything suspicious to come forward with information.
Any information can be given via 101 or use the Live Chat facility at westyorkshire.police.uk/contactus quoting log 1547 of July 4.
Information can always be given anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Simon Moore, watch commander at Bradford Fire Station, said: "We will assist police with the fire investigation.
"We will work together to determine if it was deliberate or accidental and if deemed deliberate the police will be looking to catch the culprit."
He said that although the roof had to be cut away to get water onto the fire, it did not collapse.
Watch commander Moore said that the firefighters had to be quick to get the blaze under control to stop it spreading.
"They had to get in there quick to get water on the fire to limit the damage. They did a good job.
"The firefighters had to use line rescue equipment attached to a point of the roof of the building to secure themselves because the gradient of the roof was such that couldn't work safely.
"It held them in position while putting water on it," said Watch Commander Moore.
"It's the second job that we've had to employ tactics like that. It's exactly the same tactics we used in the fire at the Odeon.
"In this incident, the fire spread under the roof tiles. And because roofing sheets are designed to keep water from getting underneath, we had to get onto the roof to take it all off."
Watch Commander Moore said after the fire service managed to move concrete blocks to gain access to the site, the road reopened at around 9.30pm.
He added: "We kept a watching brief on it overnight, checking for hotspots and making sure it didn't reignite. It's like babysitting for a couple of hours.
"When the fire service and police are all done at the site, we'll hand it back over to Bradford Council."
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