The former Oasis Sports and Leisure Club on Pound Lane, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, was the scene of a fire on Saturday at approximately 18:30 BST. It took firefighters almost five hours to extinguish the fire, and the reason is currently being investigated. But according to incident commander Simon Mason, “The cause is looking reasonably like a deliberately set fire.”

Smoke billowed across the sky into the night, and flames could be seen rising from the roof of the abandoned structure.Although the fire was out by roughly 23:30, according to Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, one crew stayed overnight to search for hotspots.

“The Oasis was a sort of hub for the neighborhood to meet up and socialize, so it was such a sad ending,” said Mark Redmond, a local resident who took pictures of the fire from his house.We had a lot of good times there with our kids, whether it was just for lunch or dinner in the summer, tennis, or one of the many activities they used to host.”

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk