Nightclub fire 'could be arson'

The Sheffield club was the country's first Gatecrasher venue

A fire which caused a Sheffield nightclub to collapse could have been started deliberately, police have said.

Officers have appealed for witnesses to the fire at the Gatecrasher One nightclub in Eyre Street, Sheffield, on Monday evening.

Det Ch Insp Steve Williams said he wanted to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious between 1600 BST and 1700 BST.

Investigations are due to begin as soon as the site is made safe.

I am devastated... it is probably the one club where I cut my teeth more than anywhere else DJ Judge Jules

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said scientists from the forensic science service would carry out the investigation, alongside detectives and fire investigators.

She said the fire was being treated as suspicious as a matter of course until the cause of the blaze could be established.

"The investigation will begin in earnest once demolition of part of the building has been completed and the site is made safe," she said.

"This may take several days."

'Lost for words'

The Sheffield club, which had regular appearances from DJs such as Carl Cox, Judge Jules and Pete Tong, was the country's first Gatecrasher venue.

DJ Judge Jules told BBC Radio 1 he was "dumbfounded and lost for words" by the loss of the club.

He said: "I am devastated, not just from the perspective of the impact on dance music and the dance scene, but for me it is probably the one club where I cut my teeth more than anywhere else.

"Everything was done to perfection - the lighting was really great compared to other clubs, it's got a fantastic sound system and just this vista of a crowd that was better than just about any other venue.

"They are very much flying the flag for new music and new styles."

Several staff members were inside the nightclub - formerly The Republic - at the time of the fire, but no-one was injured.

About 25 firefighters were called in to tackle the blaze at its height. One end of the two-storey building collapsed about two hours after the fire started.

Managing director of Gatecrasher, Simon Raine, said he was determined the club would be rebuilt.