Statement following community meeting regarding fire at Strachan and Henshaw site

Today we attended a community meeting, alongside our partners in Avon Fire and Rescue and Bristol City Council, to hear some of the concerns raised by residents and businesses following the fire at the Strachan and Henshaw site in Speedwell.

The meeting was held at The Crofts End Church not far from the site of the fire, which took place on Friday May 3.

DI Roger Doxsey, senior investigating officer, gave the following update with regard to the police investigation:

“The site was too unsafe to get officers or forensic investigators on site in order to examine the scene.

“We used a drone to survey the area and get a good look inside the building to gather evidence to help us find out how the fire started.

“Our main lines of enquiry have been talking to witnesses, reviewing CCTV footage and reviewing the drone footage.

“My team is still working through hours of CCTV footage – it has been a key focus in our investigation.

“We have had lots of people come forward but if there is anyone still out there who was at the site on the night, or anyone who thinks they might have key information, I would urge them to come forward to talk to us.

“We were clear from the beginning that this was going to be treated as arson in order to give us the greatest resources and scope for capturing evidence in order to find out what started the fire.

“Looking at the evidence so far there is no indication that it was started deliberately but we still have CCTV to review and people to interview and we are keeping an open mind.”