Former pub building in Rotherham town centre wrecked by fire

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue was called to the former Rhinoceros on Bridgegate on Saturday night.

A spokesperson said: “This fire started in a derelict pub and has since spread into the roof of a neighbouring gym.”

There was a warning to avoid the area on Saturday night as crews dealt with the incident.

Details about the cause have yet to be made public.

The pub, on Bridgegate, is yards from where a Women’s Euros football fan party will take place in All Saints’ Square later today ahead of Rotherham’s New York Stadium hosting its third fixture of the tournament.

Rhinos was closed by Wetherspoons in 2019 but reopened independently for a while.

In August 2021, police found more than 1,000 cannabis plants inside the former Revolution gym space on the first floor.

The premises failed to sell at auction the following month.

And in December there was a deliberate fire to the rear of the building, in Red Lion Yard.