Cause of fire could remain a mystery; OLD PEUGEOT SITE: Demolition of car giant's gutted HQ has destroyed any clues.

Byline: By Helen Thomas

THE CAUSE of a fire which ripped through Peugeot's former administrative headquarters in Coventry is unlikely to ever be known.

The blaze started at about midnight on Saturday in the site in Aldermoor Lane, Stoke Aldermoor.

Peugeot moved out of the site earlier this year to move to its new headquarters in Sunbeam Way, Stoke.

The building had been earmarked for demolition by its new owners but has now had to be knocked down earlier than planned because of the extensive damage caused by the fire.

Site owners will continue to look into how the fire started but the demolition means a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire would be impossible.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "We cannot say for definite what the cause was.

"The whole building has now been demolished so there is not much chance of carrying out a full investigation."

Up to 80 firefighters in 15 fire engines were called in to tackle the fire on Saturday night and thick black smoke could be seen for miles during the blaze.

It was not until yesterday morning that the fire was finally put out.

The spokesman said: "Two fire crews were in attendance throughout yesterday morning damping down hot spots, clearing up and keeping a watching brief while demolition work got underway.

"They were able to pack up and leave the scene at about noon."

Firefighters continued to revisit the site throughout the afternoon to carry out further checks for any hot spots.

Up to 500 people worked in the offices in Aldermoor Lane when it was owned by Peugeot.

The company moved to Pinley House - its new pounds 25million headquarters in Stoke, - in June.

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DJ201008PEUG1 Firefighters were called to Aldermoor House, the old Peugeot headquarters in Aldermoor Lane, on Saturday to deal with a massive blaze. Pictures: Joe Bailey