FIRE crews were called to deal with a blaze at a garage in New Hall Street, Burnley.

Two fire engines from Burnley and one from Nelson attended the fire at 9.20pm on Wednesday.

They had to cut through security fencing to gain access and spent three hours on the scene, putting out the flames, damping down and then securing the site.

Watch manager Neil Ashworth said: “The fire was reported by a member of the public and when we arrived on the scene there was smoke coming from a garage that formed part of a unit in a large mill.

“We struggled to get into the premises due to the amount of security gates and had to cut through them.

“We were unable to contact the owners of the premises so secured it ourselves and left a note to call us.

“When we returned the following morning there was still no sign of the owners.”

Watch manager Ashworth said the fire was believed to be accidental, possibly caused by some cooking meat.

He said: “The damage was severe by fire to the roof of the premises and the outside of the property was badly damaged by heat.

“We believe some slow cooking or smoking meat outside the premises started the fire.

“There was a large quantity of cars in the yard but none were affected.”