Fire service suspects arson after blaze at community centre in Melksham

The fire has been described as 'devastating' by Forest Youth Club

A fire at a community centre used by Forest Youth Football Club is being treated as suspected arson.

The blaze at the Forest Community Centre on Friday 23 February badly damaged its changing rooms.

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We believe it to be suspicious and it's now with the police."

The fire means Forest Youth Football Club cannot play home games until the changing rooms are fixed.

The players had been using the facilities to change before and after their matches.

The club has now launched a fundraising drive to pay for the clear up and repairs, and are already more than half way to their £5,000 target.

'Devastating for us'

Club chairperson, Leanne Daysh, said the fire had been 'pretty devastating' for everyone, especially for the three youth sides which use the facilities.

"What the children know [about the fire] I don't know, they were supposed to have training there Saturday and have a game Sunday.

"Of course all of that was cancelled and there won't be any training this week either," she explained.

"We don't really want the children down there to see what's happened. It's been devastating for us, let alone six, seven and eight-year-olds.

"The fire had affected the far end of the community centre where the changing facilities were located and there was not much left," she added.

Forest Youth Football Club cannot play any home matches until the changing rooms are repaired

But despite the damage, Mrs Daysh believed the fire could have been worse.

"In hindsight we were very lucky, it could have been so much worse.

"We could not fault the emergency services, they got down there so fast and I think stopped even more damage than there could have been."

A spokesperson from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to a community building in Bowmans Court, Melksham at 17.50 GMT on 23 February for a fire involving the rear of the remises and an outbuilding.

"Three crews attended, two from Trowbridge and one from Chippenham, and four breathing apparatus wearers used two hose reel jets to extinguish the blaze.

"Thermal imaging cameras were also used to check there was no fire spread into the roof void. Our stop was at 19:28 GMT."

"There were no reports of injuries," he added.