The cause of a fire at a building in Nottingham city centre has been confirmed as deliberate by Notts Fire Service.
The fire on Monday (April 27) at the block on Friar Lane damaged derelict offices above the White Rose store.
A spokesperson for Notts Fire Service said: “The cause of the fire was deliberate ignition where internal building materials have been brought together to start the fire.”
Anna Paterson, 41, store manager, said that they have previously reported small groups of young people climbing into the derelict offices above them.
The same groups have caused problems inside the shop, she added.
“They literally threw our clothes around. They made a massive mess. Then they were hiding in between the clothes. They were aggressive, they were calling me names – I couldn’t get them out of the shop.”
The young people access the abandoned upper floors through the back of the building, she said. “Once they can get to the back, they can go on the roof [and] all over the place.”
Police had been informed of previous incidents involving the group but arrived after the young people had left, according to staff.
The shop was unable to open until midday on Monday and missed a delivery. Paterson said this left the shop behind schedule. “This week it’s a bit hectic because we’re still trying to catch up.”
The shop spent several hundred pounds boarding up one entry point but they don’t think it will resolve the problem, Paterson added.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the solution, you can see they can get behind any building and then from there they can get to the top of them.”
She said the fire had caused water damage in the basement storage area after the fire.
Seven fire crews attended the fire and the road was closed to traffic for part of the morning.