28 March 2026 , 14:30
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Residents were forced to evacuate their homes last night as the inferno engulfed The Big Mill in Leek, Staffordshire, could be seen for miles around.
A 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a blaze ripped through an historic mill with flames and smoke visible for miles around.
Residents were forced to evacuate their homes last night as the inferno engulfed The Big Mill in Leek, Staffordshire, which is a Grade II listed building. The arrested teen is being questioned following the fire, police have confirmed.
Officers have said he is being held in custody on suspicion of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
The blaze was reported at the six-storey Grade II-listed building at 9.22pm yesterday. A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said on Saturday morning that crews remained at the scene. At its height, up to six crews worked to contain the blaze.
Fire officials said they had received a total of 118 calls about the incident. People in the area reported the derelict building appeared "completely burned out" by 11pm.
Staffordshire Moorlands Police said officers were at the Co-op on West Street, Leek, to arrange housing and support for evacuated residents. Local councillor Bill Cawley said about 10 residents had had to leave their homes.
The six-storey building, which has a bell tower, dates back to 1860 according to its Historic England listing, and is one of the earliest mill buildings of its scale in the town. It was last used as a mill in the 1980s and was then home to a pine manufacturer and workshop.
It has been derelict since 2007, Cawley told the BBC.
Politics Editor