Garage blaze was arson, say firefighters

Firefighters were called out to a blaze at a disused garage in Lea - suspected of being started deliberately.

The incident, on Thornpark Drive, Lea, is being linked to anti-social behaviour which has been on-going on the housing estate for some time.

Watch manager Dave Shaw blasted the suspects for pulling firefighters away from duty when there could have been a more serious fire at the same time.

Four fire engines were called out 7.44pm to the blaze, with two of these remaining at the site for an hour, to deal with the fire.

Watch manager Shaw said: “The garages are some distance away from people’s homes so there was no real danger, but it is a drain on resources which we can do without.

“If there had been a more serious fire at the same time, we could have had problems.

“It seems that this is an escalation of the anti-social behaviour which has been ongoing on the estate, which is very worrying.”

Firefighters used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

There were no casualties.

Police have been notified of the suspected arson.