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A Historic railway
shed in Cheltenham has been destroyed by fire in a suspected arson attack.
More than 30 firefighters battled in vain to save the 130-year-old
listed building behind B &Q in Tewkesbury Road. Police have launched an
investigation into the blaze which took 15 minutes to destroy the old railway
depot.
The shed, which stood in the former London Midland and
Scottish Railways goods yard, crumbled as fire ripped through it at 4.45pm
yesterday.
Clouds of thick smoke could be seen from miles around.
Staff from Railtrack and the Rail Response Unit checked
nearby railway lines to make sure it was safe for trains to pass.
The police helicopter circled above and used thermal
imaging cameras to ensure embers did not spark any other fires in the area.
An eight strong police team kept back a crowd of 50
people.
As embers flew, officers pushed their cordon back
further.
By 5pm, the blaze was out but firefighters from
Cheltenham and Tewkesbury spent several hours damping down.
In total, six fire engines and a crane were used.
One firefighter was treated by paramedics at the scene
for heat stress but later resumed work.
Staff from B &Q, Kwik Fit and Tiles R Us left work
to watch the burning building.
The grade II-listed railway shed, which was subject to a
preservation order, was a coal depot until 1950.
Now owned by London-based company Castle Brook, it was
restored after a number of arson attacks.
Retired BT engineer Brian Crisp, of Merriville Road,
worked in the goods office of the warehouse between 1948 and 1951.
He said: "You're watching history burning. I
remember when massive goods wagons would pull into it. They would be unloaded
and their goods sent all over town.
"It was a working building through the Second World
War, but has been empty for about 30 years.
"A conservation group wanted to take it down bit by
bit and transfer it to the Forest of Dean to preserve it. Now it's gone.
"Kids have done it. They've been having a go at it
for years. Now they've succeeded."
Local DJ David Howse, from Rowanfield, said: "This
is a bit of a rough area. The only things children can do around here is burn
cars or buildings. Youngsters of today have burnt the history of
yesterday."
Daniel Green, 27, from Swindon Village, spotted the
clouds of black smoke from the Arle Court roundabout.
He said: "I saw the smoke and followed it. I came
up here as a kid with my dad.
"He used to tell me about the old railways being
here. It was part of Cheltenham's heritage."
Bosses at B &Q closed the DIY store as a safety
precaution.
The incident caused traffic chaos in Tewkesbury Road
because emergency vehicles couldn't pass through rush hour traffic.
Nathan Travis of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
said the cause of the fire was being treated as suspicious. He said:
"The building was unoccupied and there was no gas or electrical supply.
"The dry weather and the age of the shed meant it
was tinder dry and the fire spread rapidly.
"Crews were concerned about the threat to the
nearby railway line and to B &Q and spent some time damping down this
area to prevent the spread of the flames."
Ian Crowder, spokesman for the Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway described the loss of the shed as "tragic".
"Locomotive depots of this sort are few and far
between," he said. "It was a building of historical importance
nationally and even more importance because it played a major part in the
early years of the railway in Gloucestershire."
A police spokeswoman said: "The shed has been razed
to the ground and the incident is being treated as suspicious."
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