Man arrested on suspicion of arson following fire at Milton Keynes nightclub

A major blaze broke out at Pink Punters nightclub on Watling Street at around 2am on Sunday April 26, with the venue evacuated and 12 fire crews sent to tackle the incident.

Police said in an update published this afternoon, that a 51-year-old man from Milton Keynes had been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

The man remains in custody at this time, with police saying the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Firefighters and police remain at the scene, with fire crews checking the area for hotspots.

Road closures remain in place in the area, including on Watling Street, and police say these are likely to continue for some time.

Chief Superintendent Emma Baillie, LCU Commander for Milton Keynes, said: “This was a significant fire in which a large number of people had to be evacuated.

“Thankfully no one was injured and staff at the venue worked quickly and effectively to safely evacuate everyone.

“Fire crews and our officers remain on scene, and road closures are likely to remain in place for a significant amount of time.

“Our officers have arrested a man in connection with this incident. He remains in custody at this time, while we carry out ongoing enquiries.

“At this time it would be too early to comment on any particular motivation for this incident and we would respectfully ask for people not to speculate.

“We would ask anyone with information in relation to this incident to please call 101 quoting reference 43260203265.”

A Bucks Fire and Rescue spokesperson added: “Our crews are working extremely hard, and we’ll provide further updates when we have more confirmed information.

“Our advice to the public is to still avoid the area and to local residents, please keep windows and doors closed to avoid breathing in smoke generated by the fire.”