The fire that engulfed the old Gaiety Amusement arcade on Ventnor seafront on Tuesday is no longer being treated as arson, Police have confirmed.
As first reported by Island Echo, fire crews rushed to the Esplanade at around 18:00 on Tuesday evening when smoke started billowing from the partially demolished building.
Hampshire Constabulary were called to the scene and erected a cordon as investigations got underway as to whether or not the blaze had been started deliberately.
3 people seen walking away from the building just 2-minutes before smoke started issuing have been ruled out of the investigation.
Police now say that the fire is not being treated as arson as no evidence has been found.
A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary has said:
“We have been working alongside our partners in the fire service to investigate the fire which occurred at an arcade in Ventnor on 7th June this year.
Article continues below this advertisement “Following a number of enquiries, including speaking to witnesses in the area and reviewing CCTV footage, no evidence of third party involvement has been identified and this is no longer being investigated as an arson.”
Hilarious. Hampshires Finest strike again.
British justice must be done,
Not only done, but seen,
And now we’ve seen it done to us,
We know how done we’ve been.
(With apologies to Raymond Allen.)
So what was the cause ????
Arson not by a third party, clearly.
Yes what was the cause then?
That will shut the people up suggesting it was an insurance job and mentioning names of
innocent people involved.
Never an insurance job, dear sir, as an insurance company, unlike the police, would demand a full, rigourous investigation as to why two elderly people nearly died before being carried from their home by local heroes. Not to mention the massive danger to local homes and businesses.
Of course it wont! Facts are not necessary on here lol
Wow that must be the quickest arson investigation in history
Come come, Roger. You can be sure they had a top team of forensic investigators and arson specialists examining the site for any signs of malicious intent. Perhaps…
How, why, oh come on is this a joke, never mind the brown envelopes, must of been a huge brown container of gold bars to pay of any investigation. Welcome to the Isle of Corruption and greed, money talks and the locals can go stuff themselves. What about the 2 elderly people who nearly died of smoke inhalation? What about the fact that the digger was inside shovelling debris about when they were told to keep out as it was being investigated. This not only stinks of smoke, but also the acrid stench of the islands biggest ever cover up.
If you are so concerned why don’t you go to the police with your information. I expect they are used
to people who have got nothing better to do with their lives than gossip
Me thinks you doth protest too loudly.
They have the info already, why are you so concerned? Are you one of the named? I am concerned A) Because at least 2 people suffered seriously from smoke and B) it is pretty obvious it is a deliberate act, loads of people saw this “bonfire” being created ready on the day it got lit.
Why do you think you have to have information to make an assumption based on recent and past events and activities,Rob? Sometimes something that walks like a duck and looks like a duck and quacks like a duck may be a duck without any further evidence as to its genetic make-up.
Wow thought it was down to fire investigation team (F.I.T) to establish cause of fire and then forward findings on to Police seems bit quick ….. what started fire as no gas or electric in building …. Very suspicious
Who did the investigation Stevie Wonder? Just goes to show can’t get what you want set fire to the place and wave some cash around. I told you the police would do nothing
Might teach these people not to jump to conclusions in future , if it wasn’t arson then what started it
Why has my comment been deleted? What was the cause then ?????
So 3 youths are caught on CCTV walking from inside the fenced of area at 17:58 and met by a car that drives down the Parade at exactly the right time to collect them and they all get in 17:59
Then 18:00 smoke is seen coming from the derelict building ….. what a coincidence…mmmm??
Masons, involved in much planning and development here, and some very unpleasant characters willing to aid and abet if the price is right. Seems to be highly likely here.
Developers will be tickled PINK
If you were going to set a fire, you would have moved the digger first!
They did, it was outside when the fire was going. Funny how the flames never touched it, almost like they took into account the wind direction that day.
The site owner was boasting on Wednesday that the police weren’t interested and there would be no investigation. He must have made his millions as a psychic, or how could he know this? Still, Ventnorians can’t wait to give him an extra special welcome when his dream home is built. Mainly for all he’s done for us so far.
Maybe it won’t get built when, as it nears completion it amazingly catches fire, insurance job no.2. I hope he gets a warm welcome next time he comes down to lord it over everyone and throw his cash around like confetti at a paupers wedding. whoever did it might be breathing a sigh of relief now (albeit a smoky sigh) but people have long memories. To the criminal who did this, “Youuuuuur in suspension, your a liar”, J. Rotten. 1976.
Everything about Ventnor is suspicious lol.
The wonder of Spontaneous combustion .!!!!
Of course they found ‘nothing suspicious’.
Hampshire (& IoW) Police are so useless they probably wouldn’t manage to make an arrest if they found someone with a can of petrol and matches on them…
‘Just been to get some fuel for my car guvnor’ Oh, okay, nothing to see here, ‘move along sonny’!
perhaps it would have been better investigated if the police vehicles had Hampshire and Isle Of Wight on the vehicles ???
Being ex Fire Service myself after a fire we had to fill out a full fire report.
An FDR 1 as it was called then which was a legal document which could be asked to produce to provide in a court of law.
If you could not 100% sure as the cause of fire you would put the reason for ignition on the report
as not known, doubtful or suspicious
Would love to read the FRD1 for this incedent
Spent hours doing those forms myself
What a joke! You cant find a matchstick as its perished…der
Quicker building flats now.predic
So….. how did it start?
Amazing isn’t it. This property has remained derelict for years with no fire and now it suddenly goes up in flames. Funny that.
Everyone has a price.
Not wishing to fuel any conspiracy theories, why were officials so quick to publicly say they were treating it as arson (if they weren’t sure) and then nearly as quick to say it wasn’t arson?
Surely it would be better to NOT use the word “arson” until they were more confident?!!
No wonder Joe Public is suspicious…!
stinks of funny handshakes and brown envelopes!
Hi very strange same thing happened on the seafront in southsea a few years ago the old savoy and flats ac bove suddenly went up in flames
They had been trying to knock down for years everyone told it was not arson?????