The huge fire at Nottingham railway station is finally out, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed.
The blaze - which lasted for nearly 12 hours - is being treated as arson.
British Transport Police said they were seeking information from members of the public as they and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service investigate the blaze.
Transport minister Jo Johnson has thanked members of the emergency services for their efforts in tackling a huge fire at the station.
Dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze at the train station, which broke out at around 6.25am. It had ended by 5.50pm.
Visiting the scene this afternoon, Mr Johnson described the fire as a “devastating incident that’s done substantial damage” and added: “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the emergency services”.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said that 60 firefighters from eight stations tackled the fire.
The station will be closed for the rest of the day, with no trains arriving or departing.
The fire is thought to have started in a toilet in a new extension on the Queen's Road side of the station, before spreading to the roof.
Roads around the station were initially closed off, but by 2pm were beginning to re-open.
Buses and trams were also severely disrupted, but had begun to return to normal by afternoon.
Keys facts about the Nottingham station fire The number of firefighters at the scene is 50
Ten crews are tackling the blaze
The initial call came in at 6.25am
No injuries to report
The cause is yet to be determined
Station is expected to be closed all day
(Image: SWNS)
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. There are no reports of any injuries.
The railway station was originally built in 1848 and is a landmark, Grade II* listed building. It has recently been refurbished.
Services run from Nottingham across the country, including trains in and out of London St Pancras.
The station is also a hub for tram services and there are bus and coach stops nearby, as well as a multi-storey car park.
See updates on this below.
The huge fire at Nottingham railway station is finally out, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed.
The blaze - which lasted for nearly 12 hours - is being treated as arson.
British Transport Police said they were seeking information from members of the public as they and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service investigate the blaze.
Transport minister Jo Johnson has thanked members of the emergency services for their efforts in tackling a huge fire at the station.
Dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze at the train station, which broke out at around 6.25am. It had ended by 5.50pm.
Visiting the scene this afternoon, Mr Johnson described the fire as a “devastating incident that’s done substantial damage” and added: “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the emergency services”.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said that 60 firefighters from eight stations tackled the fire.
The station will be closed for the rest of the day, with no trains arriving or departing.
The fire is thought to have started in a toilet in a new extension on the Queen's Road side of the station, before spreading to the roof.
Roads around the station were initially closed off, but by 2pm were beginning to re-open.
Buses and trams were also severely disrupted, but had begun to return to normal by afternoon.
Keys facts about the Nottingham station fire The number of firefighters at the scene is 50
Ten crews are tackling the blaze
The initial call came in at 6.25am
No injuries to report
The cause is yet to be determined
Station is expected to be closed all day
(Image: SWNS)
The cause of the fire has not yet been established. There are no reports of any injuries.
The railway station was originally built in 1848 and is a landmark, Grade II* listed building. It has recently been refurbished.
Services run from Nottingham across the country, including trains in and out of London St Pancras.
The station is also a hub for tram services and there are bus and coach stops nearby, as well as a multi-storey car park.
See updates on this below.
Station closed all day on Friday and services affected across the city after blaze spread to concourse and roof
A huge fire that broke out in a block of toilets at Nottingham railway station is being treated as arson, British Transport police (BTP) said.
About 60 firefighters tackled the blaze, which started at 6.30am on Friday and spread to the main concourse and roof.
Firefighters are still at the scene dealing with the fire, which has been brought under control.
The BTP and Nottinghamshire fire and rescue service launched a joint investigation and urged anyone with information to get in touch.
Supt Sandra England, who is leading the BTP response, said: “Inquiries have been ongoing today and we now have reason to believe the fire may have been started deliberately. Officers are working to identify anyone who may have been involved in the incident, and we are appealing for information from members of the public.
“Fortunately, we have not had any reports of injuries as a result of the fire. Cordons remain in place around the area and trains are not running. It is likely the station will remain closed for the rest of the day.”
The station was evacuated shortly before the morning rush-hour.
The new transport minister, Jo Johnson, tweeted to say he was on his way to Nottingham to thank emergency services.
The blaze has caused widespread travel disruption across the city’s transport network. East Midlands Trains said: “It is anticipated that Nottingham station will not reopen today and we expect trains to be disrupted on all routes through Nottingham for the whole of Friday 12 January.”
NET Nottingham Tram said its trams were unable to stop at Nottingham station. The grade II-listed building was built in the mid-19th century and refurbished in recent years.
Asked about potential disruptions for football fans on Saturday, Kirsty Derry, deputy managing director of East Midlands Trains, said: “We have got people working through the clock to make sure we get a really good level of service tomorrow.
“People should check before they travel and maybe tonight it would be wise just to think about those alternative arrangements – but we are very optimistic about the level of service we can put on tomorrow.”
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The building has been evacuated and trains have been cancelled
A huge fire that closed Nottingham railway station is being treated as arson.
At its peak 10 fire crews were tackling the fire, which began at about 06:30 GMT.
Flames were seen coming from the station's roof and smoke filled the foyer, prompting the building's evacuation.
Supt Sandra England said: "We now have reason to believe the fire may have been started deliberately."
She added: "Cordons remain in place around the area and trains are not running. It is likely the station will remain closed for the rest of the day."
Incident commander Bryn Coleman, from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, said crews faced "arduous" conditions when they arrived to tackle the "severe" fire that spread across the concourse.
He described the operation as "difficult and protracted".
Image copyright Nottingham Fire and Rescue Image caption Nottingham Fire and Rescue tweeted a picture from inside the building
He added the fire was believed to have started in a toilet.
The fire service confirmed in the early afternoon that a joint investigation with the British Transport Police was already under way.
At 17:00 GMT crews were still at the scene dealing with the fire, which has been brought under control.
British Transport Police said it was an "ongoing incident" and said the station was "unlikely" to be open by Saturday.
Supt Sandra England said: "Even if some trains are running by tomorrow, there will be an extremely limited service with many delays, cancellations and overcrowding."
She advised football fans travelling to and from Nottingham for matches on Saturday not to attempt to travel by train.
East Midlands Trains said while no-one was injured and everyone was accounted for, all services, including trains to London St Pancras, Liverpool, Leicester and Norwich, have been disrupted.
Skip Twitter post by @EMTrains There will be no trains to and from Nottingham for the remainder of today as soon as we have an update withto tomorrows situation we will post here: https://t.co/HGrKnOxIEZ gard ^AL — East Midlands Trains (@EMTrains) January 12, 2018 Report
Kirsty Derry, deputy managing director of Stagecoach, East Midland Train's parent company, apologised for the disruption but said they were "really optimistic" about services at the station on Saturday but warned there would be "gaps".
About 4,600 passengers arrive at Nottingham station during each weekday morning between 07:00 and 10:00, according to the Department for Transport.
The station has recently undergone a £50m redevelopment, incorporating a new tram bridge, including the restoration and upgrade of its Edwardian grade II listed front building.
Image copyright PA Image caption People were evacuated from Nottingham station
Eyewitness Sarah McMullan said she saw smoke coming from a toilet at the station's car park.
"You don't think much of it when there's a little bit of smoke and police already there, but then we were evacuated," she said.
"It was pretty frightening to see how quickly a fire can grow. You can see billowing smoke and flames above the roof on the far side."
BBC Radio Nottingham's Andy Whittaker said he saw "thick plumes of black smoke" coming from the station.
He said many people were left waiting outside the building after being told to leave.
Image caption Smoke filled the foyer at the station after the fire broke out
Dr Remigius Ilione, 49, said: "I drove into the car park and I could already hear the fire alarm.
"The smoke was so thick that you could not see in front of you."
Queens Road and Carrington Street were closed in both directions, which created heavy traffic on surrounding routes, but while there have been partial reopenings, disruption remains.
There have been reports of 40-minute delays on bus services.
Trams into the city were also disrupted by the fire and a separate incident, but began to run past the station at about 14:30 BST.
Image caption Jo Johnson hoped the station will be up and running again in "a few days"
Visiting the station, Transport Minister Jo Johnson said: "It has been a devastating incident, but it has been an extraordinary response from the emergency services.
"We saw an exemplary evacuation this morning. There were about 200 or 300 passengers at the start of the rush hour who were evacuated safely.
"As far as we can tell no-one has been hurt in the incident and we really do owe a huge debt of gratitude to the emergency services. East Midlands Trains has done a great job ensuring no-one was hurt and everyone was evacuated safely. "
He added that he hoped the station should be back up and running in the "next few days".
