HOMELESS people living in a derelict building in Castle have been blamed for a fire which completely destroyed it.

Rush hour traffic came to a standstill following the closure of Northwich Town Bridge as the fire raged at the former Manweb building just before 7am on Friday.

At its height, five crews tackled the blaze and a hydraulic platform was dispatched from Chester.

The incident was close to the junction of Castle Hill and Winnington Hill.

Leading firefighter Barry Rose, from Northwich Fire Station, said the bottom of Castle had to be closed because of the fire's intensity and to allow access for fire crews.

He said: "It is our understanding that homeless people were living there and had lit a small fire to keep themselves warm on the cold nights.

"The police are aware of these people who are moving around and living in derelict properties."

Firefighter Rose said conditions had been extremely dangerous due to the construction of the timber building.

He said: "The fire was so severe that it was too dangerous for us to go in especially as the roof had fallen in.

"In between the cladding, it is insulated with sawdust and the fire was extremely difficult to put out. It was a rapidly developing fire."

No one had to be evacuated and no one was injured in the blaze. The building is gutted and will now have to be demolished.

Traffic started moving at around 8.50am and firefighters spent a total of seven hours at the scene.