Firefighters taken to hospital after severe blaze rips through Wednesbury Leisure Centre

The centre in High Bullen, which has only been closed a month, was targeted at around 12.30am.

It is believed to have been deliberately started in a store room at the back of the site before spreading to the old sports hall.

Two firefighters were taken to Sandwell General Hospital for a precautionary check after suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and debris in their eyes.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed neither firefighter had suffered serious injury and had later returned to duty.

Crews battled to bring the blaze under control remaining at the scene for around six hours.

They said 'significant damage' had been caused to the rear of the building and the sports hall.

Water had to be piped from nearby Wednesbury Fire Station in King Street as crews fought the blaze.

Once the fire had been put out checks were carried out to ensure it had not spread to other parts of the site and damping down continued to make certain the fire could not spark up again.

Investigators and crews returned to the scene today to continue damping down and continue looking into the cause of the fire.

Firefighter Shaun Crone said it had been a serious fire.

"This building is no longer being used and the site is fenced off," he said.

"The fire was focused at the end of the sports hall in a store room or changing room area.

"This is where we believe the fire started. It then spread to the sports hall.

"It was a severe fire and six pumps were needed in the end to bring it under control.

"We still had crews at the scene at around 6.30am today.

"Investigations are still continuing at the moment but it is being treated as a suspected arson. Crews were due to go back out the building during the day."

Residents living near to the building said they had been woken up in the early hours by the smell of smoke and had seen the rising flames.

One resident, of King Street which is behind the leisure centre, who did not wish to be named, said: "I woke at around 1am because we had the window open and I could smell the smoke.

"I look out of the window and it was a big fire. The flames were really big."

The resident said she had looked out of the window again a couple of hours later.

"It was around 3am or 3.30am when I looked again and saw the firemen were still there," she said.

The centre shut at the end of May while work continues on the new one on the same site.

It will have a 25-metre pool, a learner pool, two dance studios and a 100-station fitness suite.

Work has been taking place to clear the site.