The fire at the old Communisis chequebook printing site took place on 9 August last year.

The factory, located at the junction of Catherine Street and Frances Street, was nestled between houses in a residential area.

Tackling the huge blaze required a massive amount of resources from Cheshire Fire Service, Cheshire Constabulary and the local authority, with roads closed, hundreds of residents evacuated, and some nearby properties damaged by the fire.

Some families have still not been able to return to their homes.

Specialist appliances and 15 fire engines were involved in getting the fire under control across a site of approximately 70x90m, and the blaze also affected a nearby electrical substation.

Cheshire Fire Service was on the scene for two days, damping down hot spots and clearing dust and debris.

Teenagers James Evans, 19, of Welles Street Sandbach, and Justin Keeling (formerly Justin Evans), 18 both pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court after being charged with arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Keeling, of Catherine Street in Crewe, had earlier also admitted perverting the course of justice after lying to police about seeing youths climbing over a gate to access the building.

The duo even filmed themselves setting fire to piles of boxes and paper at the disused site, with the footage shared by Sky News.

 The fire coincided with summer disorder in the town, and put a further strain on police resources.

Evans and Keeling have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 14 April.

A third person, Peter Lord, 20, and from Crewe, was found not guilty of the same charge earlier this week following a trial.

DC Mike Edwards said: “This incident ripped residents out of the comfort of their own homes. The men’s cowardice, idiocracy and selfishness put residents in significant danger.

“The fire also left officers with considerable health issues and caused them to have time off work,” he stated.

“They took such a casual approach when starting the fire as evidenced in their flippant filming of the act and showed no understanding for just how quickly it can get dangerously out of control.

Prior to the fire, the premises had also been raided by police in June 2024 after the site had been converted into a “sophisticated” large-scale cannabis farm containing more than 2,000 plants.

The Crewe site was shuttered after a number of Communisis companies went into administration at the end of 2023.