News, Merseyside
A 14-year-old girl has been arrested after a fire engulfed an abandoned Grade I-listed manor house that had stood for hundreds of years in Liverpool.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) arrived at Woolton Hall, on Speke Road, at about 20:20 BST on Tuesday to tackle the blaze overnight.
The 14-year-old girl, who is from Liverpool, was arrested on suspicion of arson and has been bailed after being questioned in custody, Merseyside Police said.
Det Insp Daniel McWhinnie said the fire, which officers believe was started deliberately, “appears to have been an extremely reckless act at a historic building”.
He said the community “will be rightly shocked by what happened” and the force as determined to find those responsible.
Reports of young people gathering by the hall shortly before the fire had been made to police on the night of the fire.
The force has appealed to anyone with information about who was there to get in touch.
“If you are a parent or guardian in the area and your child was out that night, we ask that you enquire about their movements and what they might know,” Det Insp McWhinnie said.
Anyone who was driving in the area near Speke Road on Tuesday and may have dashcam footage relevant to the investigation has also been urged to contact police.
The main body of fire was extinguished put out at about 02:00 on Wednesday.
A joint Merseyside Police investigation with MFRS is ongoing to establish the cause of the fire.
