Firefighters tackle blaze at former Grantham social club again

Firefighters have tackled a blaze at the former Westgate Social Club in Grantham.

A Grantham crew attended the incident at 4.45am on Friday morning. Police are investigating a possible arson attack. There was three arson attacks on the club and adjacent buildings last year.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said: "One crew from Grantham attended and used a main jet, a hose reel, a thermal imaging camera, a short extension ladder, a nine metre ladder and small tools to gain entry to the building and extinguish the fire.

"The fire resulted in damage to the entirety of a stage and around a quarter of the roof of the building. The crew had returned to the station at 8.43am."

This is the latest in a number of arson attacks on the derelict building and nearby. Firefighters tackled a large fire in a derelict building next to the old social club in September.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: "We were called to Westgate in Grantham at 6:02am on Friday, January 8, following reports of a fire inside a building. No injuries were reported and investigations are still ongoing."

Plans have been submitted to turn the former social club into 27 studio apartments. The proposal states that the conversion would also create a new pedestrian link between the "residential community of Greyfriars and the shopping district of Westgate" to increase footfall in Grantham town centre.

Rahul Patel acquired building in December.