Police treating La Gondola fire as possible arson

The fire at La Gondola has left the building structurally unsafe

A fire that damaged the former La Gondola restaurant in Derby is being treated as suspicious, police have said.

Firefighters were called to the derelict site in Osmaston Road at about 19:00 BST on Sunday.

A joint police and fire investigation was launched on Monday and the force now believes the fire may have been started deliberately.

Roads around the site of the hotel and restaurant, which has stood empty since 2009, have since reopened and emergency services have left the scene, although fire crews will be continuing to monitor any hotspot areas.

Police called for anyone with information about the fire to come forward.

At its height, eight fire crews, two water carriers and an aerial ladder platform tackled the blaze with nearby roads closed to traffic and residents asked to keep windows and doors closed.

A woman found at the building has been treated for injuries, which are not believed to be serious or life-threatening.

A police spokesperson said: "At this time, we are treating the fire as suspicious, and detectives are following a number of lines of inquiry.

"There have been reports of people trespassing and anti-social behaviour on the site and we would like to hear from any witnesses or anyone with any information about people accessing the building."

Roads around the site were shut down for the emergency service operations on Sunday and Monday

Derbyshire Police said the building was considered structurally unsafe and said the owner of the site was working with local authorities to ensure its security.

La Gondola had been a popular spot in the 1970s and 80s and in 2006, it featured on celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares TV programme.

Plans to demolish the restaurant and build two blocks of flats in its place were approved in February.

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