10 children escape from 'significant' building fire in Rainhill as motorists urged to avoid area

At 8.05pm yesterday evening (Saturday, 17 May), the emergency services were called to reports of a fire at the derelict gym on the Scott Clinic site on Rainhill Road.

Officers from Merseyside Police, Mersey Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service attended the fire and on arrival discovered that 10 children, between the ages of 12 and 13, who had been inside the building when the fire had started, had managed to get out safely. Fortunately no-one needed medical attention.

Firefighters are still at the scene dealing with the blaze, which has been assessed as deliberate.

Significant damage has been caused to the building.

CCTV and other enquiries have been ongoing and police are further appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Sign up for LiverpoolWorld’s free newsletters now

Detective Inspector Tony Meakins said: “The investigation is still in its early stages and it is fortunate that the children, who were inside the building when the fire took hold, managed to escape with no injuries.

“The incident is being treated as arson and enquiries are underway to establish how the fire was started and who was responsible.

“We are appealing to anyone who may have information in relation to the incident to contact us."

Rainhill Road at the junction with Nutgrove Road has been closed and motorists are advised to avoid the area, the closure is likely to be in place for a number of hours.

Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also report information via the website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101 quoting incident reference 0887 of 17 May.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously