A fire deliberately started at a derelict sports pavilion in Surrey on the evening of 2 April 2026 serves as a sharp reminder of the risks facing any owner of a vacant or unused building.
The blaze at Weston Green Sports Club in Thames Ditton destroyed a structure that had stood for nearly a century in minutes, drew twelve fire engines from Surrey and London fire brigades, and left the surrounding area unsafe days later.
Nobody was seriously hurt.
But the incident raises questions that every owner of an unoccupied or derelict building in the UK should be asking.
What Happened at Weston Green
The fire broke out at around 6pm on Thursday 2 April at the former pavilion on the Weston Green Sports Club site, owned by the Old Cranleighan Society.
The building, a timber structure built around 1930, was no longer in use.
The Society had purchased the site in 2021 and had taken the pavilion out of use around 2022 after concluding that the cost of bringing it up to the minimum legal requirements was prohibitive.
The almost 100-year-old building was engulfed within minutes of the fire starting.
Surrey Police have confirmed the fire was started deliberately. Several youths were seen on the roof shortly before the blaze broke out.
The aftermath left significant hazards for days.
The Old Cranleighan Society issued a public warning noting “significant hazards including exposed debris, sharp materials, and potential risks from lingering smoke and fumes.” The warning extended to the grass pitches on the site, which may have been affected by debris not immediately visible.
Residents in the surrounding area were advised by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service to keep doors and windows closed due to the smoke plume produced by the fire.
Full boarding and fencing of the site could not begin until the Tuesday after the fire, delayed by the Easter bank holiday weekend.
The Scale of the Derelict Building Problem
What happened at Weston Green is far from unusual.
According to Home Office estimates, around 60 fires a day occur in or beside vacant or derelict properties in the UK.
That is a significant figure, and it reflects a well-documented pattern: empty buildings attract antisocial behaviour, trespass, and deliberate fire-setting at a far higher rate than occupied ones.
Research by the fire safety consultancy Arinite found that public buildings including sports pavilions saw 71.1% of fires recorded as deliberately set, compared to much lower rates at other types of premises. The combination of public accessibility, lack of on-site oversight, and often ageing building fabric makes sports and community buildings a particular target when they fall into disuse.
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service summarise the issue clearly in their guidance for owners of empty and derelict properties: “Offenders often view vacant buildings as less harmful targets compared to occupied premises.” That perception does not reduce the consequences.
A fire in a derelict timber building like the Weston Green pavilion will still require a major operational response, still affects neighbouring properties and residents, and still carries legal responsibility for the owner.
Your Legal Duties Do Not End When a Building Becomes Empty
One of the most important points arising from incidents like this is that many building owners do not realise their fire safety obligations continue when a property becomes vacant.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to non-domestic buildings regardless of whether they are in active use.
The primary legislation governing fire safety for non-domestic premises makes clear that the duty falls on the responsible person, which is typically the building owner where the property is unoccupied. That duty includes carrying out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and ensuring that appropriate fire precautions are maintained.
A fire risk assessment for a vacant property must consider the specific risks associated with an unoccupied building: the increased likelihood of trespass and arson, the absence of day-to-day checks that would identify developing hazards, the potential for rough sleepers or others to be inside the building, and the risk that deteriorating fabric such as damaged roofing or failing electrical systems could create ignition sources.
Critically, if a fire occurs at your vacant property and your insurer finds that you have not taken reasonable fire safety precautions, you may find your insurance claim challenged or refused.
The FSM Magazine guidance on vacant property fire safety is direct on this point: insurers will investigate potential failures to meet fire safety regulations, and a failure to do so could mean no pay-out in the event of a fire.
Timber Buildings and the Speed of Fire
The speed with which the Weston Green pavilion was engulfed is important context. An almost 100-year-old timber structure, once alight, offers very little resistance to fire spread.
This is not a minor technical point. It has direct implications for how a fire risk assessment should be structured for any older building using traditional timber construction.
Timber buildings in general, and older sports pavilions or community buildings in particular, present a very different risk profile to modern masonry or steel-framed structures.
Compartmentation is often limited or absent.
There may be no fire stopping within voids and floor spaces. If the building has been out of use for some time, fire detection and suppression systems may have been decommissioned or allowed to deteriorate.
For a building like the one at Weston Green, there was likely very little that could have prevented total loss once the fire took hold.
But early detection could have allowed the fire service to arrive sooner, potentially limiting spread to surrounding areas and reducing the risk of harm to anyone inside or nearby.
What Owners of Vacant Buildings Should Do
If you own or are responsible for a vacant or derelict building, there are practical steps you should be taking, regardless of whether you have immediate plans for the site.
Carry out a fire risk assessment. This is a legal requirement under the RRO even for unoccupied buildings, and it should be specific to the risks of an empty property rather than a copy of whatever was in place when the building was in use.
Secure the building properly. Perimeter fencing, boarding of openings, and access control all reduce the likelihood of trespass and arson. The Old Cranleighan Society was working towards this following the fire, but ideally these measures should be in place before an incident occurs rather than after.
Consider remotely monitored fire detection. Standard fire alarms are of limited use if there is nobody on site to respond. A remotely monitored system can alert a monitoring centre and trigger a fire service response even when the building is unmanned, at any hour of the day or night.
Reduce combustible materials inside the building. Where possible, remove stored materials, furniture, and other fuel from an empty building. The less there is to burn, the slower a fire will develop and the less likely it is to become uncontrollable.
Carry out regular inspections. An empty building should be visited regularly by the owner or their representative. This allows any breach of security, evidence of trespass, or developing hazard to be identified and dealt with before it escalates.
Notify your insurer. Insurance conditions for vacant properties are often different to those for occupied ones, and some policies require active notification when a building becomes empty. Failure to notify can affect the validity of a claim.
The Wider Community Impact
It is worth returning to what the Weston Green fire cost the surrounding community, beyond the obvious loss of the building itself.
Twelve fire engines were taken away from other potential incidents for several hours during the evening and into the early hours. Residents in the area were asked to close their windows and doors because of smoke.
Grass pitches on the wider site were potentially contaminated by debris and remained unsafe until they could be assessed. Road access in the immediate area was affected.
These are real consequences for people who had no connection to the building or its management.
A fire risk assessment that properly accounts for the likelihood of arson and implements appropriate preventative measures is not just about protecting the building owner’s interests. It is about reducing the risk to everyone who lives or works nearby.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we carry out fire risk assessments for vacant and derelict properties, sports and community buildings, and premises at any stage of their life cycle. If you are responsible for a building that is no longer in active use and are unsure whether your current fire safety arrangements meet your legal obligations, get in touch with our team to discuss what is needed.
Sources
BBC News, “Warning issued after fire at sports pavilion” (6 April 2026): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c070l4y24l8o
Old Cranleighan Society, fire statement (April 2026): https://www.ocsociety.org/2026/04/fire-destroys-weston-green-pavilion/
Home Office estimates on vacant building fires, via FSM Magazine: https://www.fsmatters.com/page_1148960.asp
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Empty and Derelict Buildings guidance: https://www.hwfire.org.uk/advice/business-fire-safety/empty-and-derelict-buildings/
VWV Solicitors, fire safety obligations overview for responsible persons: https://www.vwv.co.uk/insights/articles/fire-safety-an-overview-of-the-duties-imposed-on-the-responsible-person-by-the-regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/
Arinite, “What Are the Most Fire-Prone Buildings in the UK?”: https://www.arinite.com/what-are-the-most-fire-prone-buildings-in-the-uk
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents
