POLICE and fire investigations are continuing in to a suspicious blaze at a three-storey former hotel in Nelson at the weekend.

More than 40 fire fighters tackled the fire at the former Grove Hotel, in Manchester Road, which is believed to have started in a storage cupboard in the first floor of the disused building.

Assistant Divisional Officer John Phathean said: "We were treating it as suspicious at the time of the fire and we are still treating it as suspicious.

"The sniffer dog did find accelerants in the vicinity of the seat of the fire so further police and fire inquiries will be carried out."

The fire, which began at around 11pm on Friday, spread from the first floor through the ceiling to the second floor and through to the roof.

A sub-officer at the scene said there had been no electricity supply in the building and the gas supply was away from where the fire started.

The aerial platform was brought in from Burnley and used to illuminate the building so that firefighters could remove slates from the roof to get in to tackle the fire in the eaves.