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Sky Ride fire was accidental

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have concluded that the fire which has destroyed part of the Sky Ride roof was not arson.

In a statement, they said that their investigations had concluded that a halogen lamp was the cause of the blaze.

The fire, which started at 7:35pm last night, took the fire services over eight and a half hours to put out, eventually extinguishing the flames at 4:30am. Two crews were still at the scene this morning, damping down and checking for hotspots.

Pumps from Cheadle, Ipstones, Uttoxeter and Longton were the first to attend the blaze, with relief crews from Burton, Newcastle, Burslem, Hanley, Rugeley and Ashley arriving at midnight. Additional water was provided from the on site lake.

Bob Dagless, area commander at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "No firefighters were committed inside the building because there was a possibility of the roof collapsing, and so the fire was fought externally.

"We managed to keep the fire confined to the roof space where it started and this is where the majority of the damage has been caused."

It is unclear at this stage whether the halogen light that caused the blaze was a permanent light fixture, or whether it was a temporary light erected in the last few weeks for the Halloween Scarefest event.

The park opened as normal this morning, with the rides in the Forbidden Valley opening at midday.