Hartlepool fire: Three youths held after Wesley Chapel blaze

The chapel fire broke out on Tuesday evening

Three youths have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire at a Grade II-listed building in Hartlepool.

Fire broke out on Tuesday at Wesley Chapel, a former Methodist chapel turned nightclub, undergoing a £4m redevelopment to become a luxury hotel.

A 16-year-old boy and two 15-year-olds have been released on conditional bail, Cleveland Police said.

Cleveland Fire Brigade told BBC Radio Tees on Wednesday morning the fire had been extinguished.

The fire started at about 18:00 GMT on Tuesday, and the scene remained cordoned off on Wednesday.

Parts of the external wall of the building in Victoria Road have collapsed.

The fire has been extinguished, but people have been told to avoid the area

The building, completed in 1873, was extensively damaged by a fire in 2017 and has since stood empty.

There was a small fire at the same site a few weeks ago, although it was successfully contained.

Investigations are continuing into how the most recent fire started, with people being asked to avoid the area.

Cleveland Police are at the scene and a number of roads remain closed.

Part of the current redevelopment was being funded by £1.4m secured by Hartlepool Council to preserve and protect the building's heritage.

Just weeks ago, the council posted footage on social media showing "excellent progress" being made to the chapel transformation, with scaffolding and steel roof trusses installed.

Council leader Mike Young told BBC Radio Tees he was "devastated" by the news of the fire, adding he hoped the regeneration project could continue.

"You start to wonder whether the work that you have seen happening so far by the contractor is going to be compromised," he said.

Council leader Mike Young hoped the regeneration project would continue

Mr Young described "the shock and absolute devastation, after a lot of work to get this regeneration project on the map".

"I was quite devastated - it's hard not to take it personally in that respect."

The chapel was previously listed by the Victorian Society in a top 10 of the UK's most endangered buildings.

Cleveland Fire Brigade praised firefighters for bringing the blaze under control

Photographer Michael Wilkinson, from Seaton Carew, whose first job was working as a barman at the venue, when it was a nightclub, described seeing smoke "billowing out across the bay" on Tuesday evening.

"It looked pretty bad," he told BBC Radio Tees. "It was really ablaze and the internal structure was alight."

"I wasn't there when the structure finally came down on the roadside, but it looks devastating."

Work only started on the redevelopment in recent weeks

He added: "It was one of the good-looking old buildings we have in the town.

"Unfortunately there are quite a lot that have been left to wrack and ruin, and it was good that this one was finally getting back on track and someone was finally making it look better."