Church Street fire demolition work continues with cordon in place

The scene in Church Street during Saturday afternoon Pic: Carl Stein

Part of the fire-ravaged building in Church Street has collapsed into the road.

Road closures are in force running along from the Church Row junction down to the Manchester Road junction of the Church Street area.

There remains an emergency service presence at the scene as urgent demolition work takes place due to the building being unsafe.

Update: Police conclude searches of Church Street building and missing man found

A fire ripped through the abandoned building – close to the former Old Dog Inn and within buildings known as ‘St Johns Row’ – during Tuesday evening.

Since then Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have been back and forth to the site as hotspots flared on Thursday and a police investigation is continuing to try and establish the cause of the fire.

@blogpreston Actively demolishing and plenty of police presence pic.twitter.com/8cqnHDLpW0
— Carl Stein (@carl_stein_) November 16, 2024

During Saturday (16 November) the demolition work broke through to the Church Street frontage of the building as the demolition work – led by the Pete Marquis group – worked from the Shepherd Street side of the building. Debris was seen falling into Church Street itself.

The road closures are in place as the building is unsafe Pic: Carl Stein

Police are continuing to appeal to trace 37-year-old Marcin Kozierowski who they say could have been sleeping rough within the building. He is classed as a missing person.

Demolition work and an emergency services presence is expected to continue throughout the weekend and into Monday (18 November).

Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.