Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the Rockingham Arms pub in Corby at around 8pm on Friday 24 April.
On arrival, crews from Corby, Kettering, Rothwell, Mereway, Oundle, Raunds and Moulton found the three‑storey derelict building fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, used two 45mm jets, hose reel jets and a turntable ladder to tackle the inferno.
Thermal imaging cameras were also used to scan the building and monitor hotspots, enabling crews to damp down affected areas.
Police investigation
Gas and electricity supplies were isolated by Cadent and National Grid, with specialist support from Derbyshire and Leicestershire fire teams, including an aerial ladder platform and a police drone.
The blaze is believed to have started on the first floor before spreading to the roof.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said the incident is being treated as arson, adding investigations are underway.
A spokesperson from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service told The Morning Advertiser (The MA): “The most likely cause of the fire is believed to be deliberate.
“The incident has been handed over to Northamptonshire Police, who are maintaining a scene guard and the fire investigation remains ongoing as they wait for a structural engineer.”
Built in 1955, the Rockingham Arms has been closed for nearly a decade. It is owned by Samuel Smith’s Brewery.
National scandal
It comes two and a half years after a fire ripped through the historic Crooked House pub in Himley, Staffordshire, which was subsequently demolished.
Criminal charges of arson with intent to endanger life have since been brought against multiple people in relation to the Crooked House and the landowner has been issued with an enforcement notice to reconstruct the building. Work to rebuild the pub has not yet begun.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) called for tighter protections for licensed premises.
Chief executive Tom Stainer told The MA: “We’re glad the case [at the Rockingham Arms] is under investigation.
“More generally, unlawful pub conversions and demolitions are a national scandal. We’re calling for Government to bolster planning policy to protect our pubs and make sure developers know they will face action if they breach the law.
“Currently the Government are planning to water down planning laws in England, where high level planning guidance will only protect the last pub in an area. Pubs, for many communities, are their final remaining social spaces, fostering togetherness and tackling social isolation.”
