Fire destroys Canley Sports and Social Club

Canley Sports and Social Club in Marler Road, Coventry, has suffered irreversible damage after a severe fire broke out on Saturday 31 August.

Around 60 fire-fighters were called to the scene in response to a call made around midnight and tackled the blaze into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Despite repeated efforts to control the fire, the ten fire engines and multiple resources present could not prevent the roof of the two-storey building from caving in.

Onlookers described the scene as “chaos” and said that it seemed as if the fire-fighters “were never going to win”.

Richie Moore, watch commander at Canley fire station, confirmed that the building will have to be demolished due to safety issues following immense structural damage.

The building was empty following a recent decision to put it up for sale, but locals emphasised the blaze as another unfortunate circumstance after the club closed last year.

One said that the club had once been “very popular” and that nearby residents would be saddened by the occurrence.

Incident commander for West Midlands Fire Service, Den Yates, said that the fire was “exacerbated by a gas main” and was especially “difficult to isolate in the early stages of the incident”.

The gas and electricity board isolated the sources at the scene, but an investigation concerning the details of the incident is currently underway.