Two men have been arrested by police investigating the fire at the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire.
A 66-year-old man from Dudley and a 33-year-old man from Milton Keynes were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, Staffordshire Police said.
They remain in custody and are being questioned by officers while the investigation continues.
The landmark building, known as Britain’s ‘wonkiest’ pub, was gutted by a suspected arson attack before being demolished by a digger earlier this month.
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Campaigners attempted to block a lorry removing rubble from the site on Monday after staff and machinery from a specialist demolition and waste management firm moved on to the site.
A sit-down protest was held on the lane leading to the now-demolished building, with some campaigners attempting to witness the work taking place.
On Tuesday South Staffordshire Council said it would closely monitor work at the site after securing an agreement that bricks and foundations will be kept there.
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The local authority said the “positive step” followed ongoing engagement with the site’s owners, a contractor, the Health and Safety Executive, and police.
The popular 18th-century pub burned down just two weeks after it was sold by pub company Marston’s to a private buyer.
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The total demolition of the site had not been sanctioned by South Staffordshire Council, which said it had only permitted the top floor to be demolished over safety fears.
