Liverpool's iconic building engulfed by fire

LONDON - Firefighters are battling a huge blaze at the art deco Littlewoods Pools building in Liverpool Sunday night, BBC reported.

Nine fire crews are at the scene of the blaze, with an area measuring 200m by 100m on fire from the first floor of the building upwards, Merseyside Fire Service said.

There are no reports of any injuries.

The five-storey building, on Edge Lane, was built in 1938 and was part of the Sir John Moores' Littlewoods empire but has stood empty since 2003.

The building had recently been sold with a plan to redevelop the site to become a major film and television studio hub, creating 350 jobs.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson tweeted: "Absolutely heartbreaking news that the iconic Littlewoods Building is ablaze, looks pretty bad at this stage, let's hope and pray it's salvageable."

A police cordon is in place and the blaze is ongoing.