A blaze that almost gutted a Brentford community centre which was due to reopen next week following a revamp is being treated as suspicious by police.
Firefighters called to the Rose Community Centre, in Hawthorn Road, noticed the doors to the building appeared to have been forced open.
The fire was reported by a passing delivery driver who called the emergency services when he noticed smoke pouring from the windows of the centre.
No one was hurt during the incident, which took place during the early hours of Tuesday morning, but the inside of the building has been badly damaged by smoke.
Contractors carrying out refurbishment work on the hall's roof found it had been sealed off by police when they arrived for work later that morning.
One said it looked like someone had started a fire in the middle of the hall and then left it to smoulder for hours, causing the building to fill with smoke.
The hall, which is used by a number of groups including the Rose Hall Playgroup, was closed while work on the roof took place.
It was supposed to re-open next week but it is now not clear when this will happen.
Andrew Dakers, a Lib Dem ward councillor for Brentford, said: "I'm sure people living locally will find this fire unsettling. It has been clear for a long time that the area around the hall is one which needs more investment and support, and in particular the Rose Community Centre. "
"Any groups using the hall will need to be moved temporarily to a suitable nearby replacement. The council may also need to look at providing short-term support in the form of special grants to help groups that struggle to meet rental costs in new premises."
His fellow ward councillor Matt Harmer said: "I am relieved no one was hurt and I hope the council will do everything it can to get the centre up and running again."
Two fire engines from Heston Fire Station attended the blaze, which also spread into the roof, at 5am and had it under control in half an hour.
Anyone with information should call Hounslow CID on 020 8247 6160.
