Emergency services contain fire at former student accommodation site
The site has been unused since 2020
Emergency services have successfully contained a fire at the former IM Marsh site in Aigburth, Liverpool.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service say the blaze was reported at an unoccupied student accommodation building on Barkhill Road at 3.41pm yesterday afternoon (17/10), and crews were on the scene nine minutes later.
Eight fire engines and an aerial appliance were deployed initially, and the fire was confined to one building approximately 100 metres by 20 metres in size, with firefighters tackling the flames internally and externally.
Merseyside Police managed cordons around the area, and local residents were instructed to keep doors and windows closed as a safety precaution.
There have been no reported casualties, and Liverpool John Moores University, which vacated the site in 2020, expressed gratitude to the emergency services for their prompt action.
The university stated: "The university is working closely with the emergency services following a major fire at IM Marsh. The fire has been contained and there have been no casualties reported.
"The university vacated the site a number of years ago with no teaching or other student-facing activity at IM Marsh since 2020.
"LJMU thanks all of the emergency services for their swift response."
By 7.40pm, the situation had been scaled down to three fire engines and one aerial appliance, with a service drone deployed to identify hotspots.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus remained on site to dampen down the area.
A spokesperson for the fire service urged people to avoid the area.