Sheffield firefighters battled to save a former working men’s club – made famous by the 2000 film The Full Monty – which was engulfed in flames on Sunday evening.
Smoke was seen billowing from the top of the once-bustling Shiregreen Lane-based club, which has been empty since 2018 and has been the subject of two planning applications that were later scrapped.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that at 5.30pm eight fire engines had been deployed to the scene.
Fire could be seen spreading through the rooms and onto the roof in videos posted on Sheffield Online.
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The fire service said: ‘Eight fire engines are in attendance at a fire in a derelict building on Shiregreen Lane, Sheffield.
‘Please avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed if you live nearby.’
The ‘proud’ venue used to have a sign saying ‘Home of The Full Monty’ but a decline in trade saw it shut more than 8 years ago.
A 2020 flat transformation and a 2024 boxing gym space both tried to get plans over the line; however, none managed to get the green light.
Local woman Ann Bentley has been fighting to save the iconic club since its closure, and told the BBC of her memories from when the movie was filmed.
‘We didn’t even know what they were filming. We always connect the club to the film,’ she said.
The fire is believed to have been set deliberately – and Ms Bentley fears fires and further incursions on the site will continue unless something is done.
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