A FIRE at Derby's former Hippodrome theatre is likely to have been started deliberately.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at the Grade II-listed building, in Green Lane, at 10.20am yesterday.

They had to douse the fire from an aerial platform because the building is not stable enough to enter.

Jack Dempsey, station manager at Nottingham Road fire station, believed the fire must have been started maliciously.

He said: "It can't have been tramps because they wouldn't have been able to get to the part of the building where the fire was.

"Whichever side they accessed from, they must have thrown a missile that was already alight.

"I wouldn't have thought there would be an investigation as the building is so difficult to enter."

At first, the fire was left to burn itself out. Firefighters returned to douse it again at 2pm.

Mr Dempsey said: "The fire was small. We saw smoke but no flames.

"There doesn't appear to be any structural damage."

The owner of the theatre, Christopher Anthony, said he would look at increasing security at the site.

He added: "We are contacting a fencing company to beef up security and, by the time we have finished, it will be like Fort Knox."