A large fire at an international college in Manchester city centre left two main roads – Charles Street and Oxford Road – closed to traffic while firefighters tackled the blaze.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire on Charles Street at 11.23pm on Sunday night.
More than 40 firefighters attended the scene where a well-developed blaze was burning on the ground floor of a five storey office building.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building and searched all five floors while jets, hose reels and aerial platform were used to extinguish the fire.
The blaze was brought under control by the small hours of the morning.
Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue said that the fire was being treated by police as deliberate but the exact cause is still under investigation.