Two arrests following fire at derelict former school site

Two suspects were arrested within minutes of police attending a fire at a former school.

Response officers travelled to Cranmer Street, St Ann’s, following reports of a small fire at a derelict building.

Firefighters extinguished the flames around 7.40pm on Monday (2 September) at the disused Elms Primary School.

The building sustained minor damage following the fire, which is currently believed to have been lit deliberately.

After arriving at the scene, police spotted a group of suspects hurdling fences and running towards Cambria Mews.

Two suspects were found in a nearby garden soon afterwards and detained.

A 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were both subsequently arrested on suspicion of arson.

PC Stevie-Lee Gough, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thankfully, nobody was injured in this incident, while the damage caused to the building was also limited.

“Our officers were able to identify and arrest two suspects shortly after arriving at the site of the fire, which we suspect was lit deliberately.

“This is clearly unacceptable, as is the type of antisocial behaviour that is often linked to these types of small fires at derelict sites.

“An investigation is currently underway to establish exactly what happened, so we’d ask anyone to share any information they have about this with us.

“This can be reported to the police via 101, quoting incident 646 of 2 September 2024, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”