FIREFIGHTERS were called to the town centre after a fire broke out behind some buildings due to be demolished.
Crews from Bolton Central community fire station were alerted to the blaze, close to Bank Street, at 8.50pm on Friday.
A number of buildings on the street are currently boarded up to allow demolition work to be carried out.
The stretch of disused buildings could eventually become the entrance to Church Wharf, Muse Developments' £150m regeneration scheme.
However, this means demolishing the former Late Club and Club Ice buildings, owned by the council, which have repeatedly been damaged by fires and are said to be structurally unsafe.
There had been reports of smoke coming from one of the buildings on Friday night but when crews arrived they saw that the fire was coming from around the back.
It appeared as if fixtures and fittings, previously belonging to the building, had been deliberately set on fire.
Bolton Central community fire station confirmed that one vehicle attended and they spent around an hour on the scene.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here