Two men who pleaded guilty to setting fire to a former print works in Crewe causing widespread disruption and displacing hundreds of residents, will be sentenced in April.
A third man has been found not guilty following a trial at Chester Crown Court.
James Evans, 19, from Welles Street, Sandbach, Justin Keeling, formerly Evans, 18, from Catherine Street in Crewe and Peter Lord, 20, of Pedley Street, Crewe, appeared at Chester Crown Court on trial.
Evans (right) and Keeling (left) pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered on the first day and Lord was found not guilty on February 3.
Keeling also admitted to perverting the course of justice at an earlier hearing.
Evans and Keeling have been remanded in custody to be sentenced on April 14.
They targeted the disused industrial premises on the junction of Catherine Street and Frances Street in Crewe which is surrounded by a hundreds of terraced houses.
The two entered the building and set fire to a large pile of cardboard last August.
The fire quickly set hold and it was declared a major incident.
A large-scale evacuation of five streets was undertaken, while firefighters from all over the county descended on the compact terraced streets of the town and remained on scene for several days.
Residents were displaced to leisure centres, or friends and family while firefighters fought to put out the fire.
More than 350 people were affected by the evacuation as their homes were at risk, in fact some houses were damaged as a result of the fire.
When officers arrived to manage crowds and put cordons in place, Keeling was in the crowd of onlookers.
He laughed and swore at police. He was told to move away and he shouted for people to riot.
Justin Keeling, formerly Evans, despite being one of the two men who had caused the devastation, also had the audacity to do an interview with the BBC.
In the interview he said he was devastated, shocked, confused and annoyed by the incident.
He also said he would now have to get his house deep cleaned to get rid of lingering smoke particles.
Two days later when police visited Keeling at home while doing door to door inquiries, he said he saw the fire when he was walking back to Catherine Street with Evans and Lord.
He claimed to have seen some youths near the building, climbing over a gate onto Bedford Street.
Further inquiries led to a 12-year-old boy being arrested. But he was later released without charge.
Keeling then admitted to a friend he was inside the building with two others and police were informed.
He was arrested and then released on bail. Days later a video filmed by him was discovered on his seized mobile phone by police.
The footage filmed inside showed a large amount of cardboard in there – one pile could be seen alight.
As the phone panned round more piles of cardboard could be seen on fire.
As a result, all three men were re-arrested that day on suspicion of arson being reckless to endanger life.
Despite the video evidence they still denied the offence, though Keeling later admitted to perverting the course of justice for deceiving police with the false sighting of the youths.
DC Mike Edwards said: “This incident ripped residents out of the comfort of their own homes. The men’s cowardice, ideocracy and selfishness put residents in significant danger.
“Their actions put a substantial strain on the police service and could have put people who needed police at that time in danger or harm. Thankfully, other officers from the surrounding areas assisted Crewe LPU during this time.
“The fire also left officers with considerable health issues and caused them to have time off work. All thanks to the act of three individuals.
“They took such a casual approach when starting the fire as evidenced in their flippant filming of the act and showed no understanding for just how quickly it can get dangerously out of control.
“Following their actions, they left the scene and walked casually back to Keeling’s home address, laughing and joking along the way. Keeling and Evans had ample opportunity to come forward to tell us what had happened, but they failed to consider the effect their actions may have on the lives of the surrounding people and their properties.
“Instead, they decided to show no remorse for their actions or the danger that they not only put themselves in, but also the residents of Crewe.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all residents who were evacuated in assisting us in our investigation and providing CCTV to help with our enquiries. Your efforts have helped in convicting these people of a serious crime and they deserve the justice they are served.”
DS Ryan Ogden said: “The fire caused such devastation and disruption to the community. Some families have still not been able to return home due to the fire damage caused. Lives and family homes were put at risk that day.
“Police and Firefighters remained on the scene for days trying to dampen down the fire and prevent further homes from ruin. The clean up afterwards and the cost borne by Cheshire East Council and the taxpayer was significant.
“Keeling had the audacity to taunt and verbally abuse police officers on the day of the fire and also told other people present at the cordons that they should cause disorder making what was already a difficult incident harder to manage. The fact he then gave an interview to the BBC days later and played the victim only rubs further salt into the healing wounds of the community.
“Their motive for setting fire will never be known but their actions are incomprehensible and was further exacerbated by the fact it took place during the summer disorder.
“Their stupidity has now seen them in court for the very serious offence of arson and no doubt will be expecting a substantial prison sentence for their mindless actions.”
See the video recovered from their phone, below:
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