THE roof fell in at a derelict building during a ‘deliberate’ fire in Poole yesterday afternoon (February 5).

A total of seven crews attended the incident, at the old college site in Constitution Hill, at around 3.45pm, where they found the building ‘well alight’.

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At the height of the incident, there were seven fire crews on scene, together with two support units, two water carriers from Hampshire & IOW FRS, and an aerial ladder platform – approximately 40 firefighters in total.

“The fire had been brought under control by 5.30pm, and resources were scaled back through the evening, with the stop message coming at 11.05pm and all crews leaving the scene by 11.15pm.”

They said an inspection would be carried out today (February 6).

“Because the roof has fallen within the building, a full fire investigation has not been possible as it is not safe to go inside,” the spokesperson added.

“However, it is believed the fire was started deliberately and this has been passed to Dorset Police.”