Two boys arrested after fire at derelict college

Two teenagers have been arrested by police investigating a suspected arson attack at a derelict college.

Plumes of thick black smoke could be seen from miles away after the fire started at the former Henley College building on Henley Road, with fire services receiving calls at about 19:15 BST on Tuesday.

Two boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of arson on Wednesday and remained in custody, West Midlands Police said.

The force added it planned to step up patrols in the area after reports of anti-social behaviour.

Fire commander Ryan Donaldson said 70% of the building had been damaged with the other 30% saved from the "significant" fire.

Six crews continued to work at the scene on Wednesday afternoon and areas of reignition had appeared intermittently throughout the day, West Midlands Fire Service said.

At the incident's peak, 75 firefighters were in attendance and 45 remained at the scene on Wednesday.

Mr Donaldson said he did not believe anyone was in the building when the fire broke out.

He told the BBC the fire service's priority had been to save part of the building and to protect local residents.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene at 19:22 and sent one ambulance, two paramedic officers and the trust's Hazardous Area Response Team.

"Following a thorough search by fire colleagues, there were no patients and we were stood down," the spokesperson added.

One member of the public told the BBC the building had also been on fire a few weeks ago.

It has not been used as a college for three years, but has since been used as a filming location for the BBC drama series Phoenix Rise and also by West Midlands Fire Service for training purposes.

Councillor George Duggins, the leader of Coventry City Council, said he felt "exceptionally sad" to see the damage to the site.

"It was always a vibrant and friendly place and the catering school was absolutely fantastic, many people who are now in the hospitality industry learnt their trade here," he said.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "Good progress continues to be made as eight crews work to extinguish smouldering hot spots to ensure there is no threat of reignition. We expect to remain at the site for some time."

An electric substation was temporarily shut down overnight to ensure the safety of the site, but power has since been restored to homes.

Henley Road remains closed to traffic between Parcel Road and Deedmore Road, but pedestrian access has been reopened.

The fire service added: "We continue to urge members of the public to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke from the fire and to stay away from the area to allow our firefighters and other agencies to continue their work.

"Thank you to nearby residents for their patience and understanding during this incident."

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