Man arrested on suspicion of arson after house gutted by fire

Fire crews battled for around two hours to prevent flames at the home in Clover Hill Road from spreading along the terraced street.

MORE TOP STORIES:

The blaze caused the front windows of the home to explode and scorched the brickwork.

A 29-year-old, who the Lancashire Telegraph understands lives at the rented property, was being questioned by police in Burnley last night on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

Worried neighbours said they spotted smoke coming from the building and alerted the emergency services.

Police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have launched a joint investigation into the blaze, which destroyed a downstairs lounge and caused severe damage to all other rooms.

Detective Sergeant Tom Edmondson, who is leading the investigation, said it was fortunate that the fire did not spread to adjoining homes.

He said: “The early indication is the fire was non-accidental .

“One person has been arrested. We believe the fire started in the lounge and as a result there is smoke damage to the majority of the building.

“There is extreme damage to the lounge, to the extent that it has broken through the uPVC windows.”

No-one was in either of the neighbouring terraced homes at the time.

Darren Ebdon, who has lived in Clover Hill Road for two months, said: “A girl who lives up the road came running down with her boyfriend to say there was a fire.

“There were two fire engines here and I could see smoke down at the bottom of the street.”

No-one was injured during the incident, but debris and glass from the broken window was scattered outside the property while investigators searched for clues as to the fire’s origin.

Firefighter Dead Bradshaw, from Nelson fire station, said two crews were called to the scene at around 10.45am yesterday.

He said: “On arrival the crews were faced with a domestic terraced property that had flames and large quantities of smoke issuing from the downstairs front room window, which was well alight.

“Once it was established that there were no casualties in the property, the crews used a positive pressure ventilation unit to clear the property of smoke.

“At this stage the fire is being treated as suspicious and joint investigation between Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Lancashire Constabulary is on-going.”

The house is let by Colne-based Manor Property Management, but a representative at the scene declined to comment.