The cause of a devastating blaze that ripped through a popular Wirral wedding venue has been revealed by the fire service.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed to the ECHO last week that the "complex" investigation into the cause of the blaze at Thornton Manor had been completed. Flames ripped through the manor house in Thornton Hough, Wirral, at around 9pm on February 5 last year.
A guest at the wedding on the night of the fire previously told the ECHO the flames were 10 feet high above the roof and "had taken over the whole house". Staff and guests were evacuated safely from the wedding ceremony and no injuries were reported.
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Crews remained at Thornton Manor in the following days as a full investigation into the cause of the fire was launched. The fire was previously described as a "challenging incident" that required the prolonged efforts of the fire service.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service has now told the ECHO investigators have determined the cause of the fire. The spokesperson said in a brief statement: "The Thornton Manor fire started and spread in the roof space of the listed building.
"The access to the roof space was difficult and the roof itself complex in its construction. This made the firefighting difficult, which was compounded by the high winds at the time of the fire and the restricted vehicle access.
"The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service incident investigation team concluded that the most likely cause of the fire was an electrical fault in the roof space of the building."
The wedding venue, operated by Thornton Holdings Ltd, is currently undergoing refurbishment because of the damage caused by the fire.
The venue made further headlines last year when it said it could not afford to refund people after the fire. The ECHO heard from several couples who had booked the grand manor house for prices up to around £11,000.
Out of pocket couples said the business had offered to move future weddings from the fire-damaged house to the onsite marquees. But Thornton Manor had been ordered by Wirral Council's Planning Inspectorate to remove all marquees by the end of July 2022 following a 10-year dispute.
An ECHO investigation in June 2022 found Thornton Manor had continued to book weddings in the marquees past the ordered date for their removal. Customers were left without an option for their big day following the marquees removal. Thornton Manor told customers to contact their insurance as a means of receiving their lost money.
The ECHO revealed last month that a number of out-of-pocket couples had since taken Thornton Holdings Ltd to small claims court. Thornton Manor did not respond to ECHO approaches for comment regarding the court cases.
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