A SUSPECTED arsonist was caught on camera as a fire he started almost caused an explosion.

The 16-year-old male was apprehended by a group of youths after the firestarter was allegedly seen lighting a skip full of building waste at the Prairie playing fields in Burnley.

The alarm was raised by a passer by at around 8.30pm on Thursday and when crews arrived the skip – close to the compound’s diesel supply for the machinery – was blazing.

Watch manager Neil Ashworth, from Burnley Fire Station, said: “We were called out to a plant machinery fire within the compound of a building site at the Prairie, off Windermere Avenue.

“A member of the public had seen a youth light a fire in the skip on the compound and the skip was next to the fuel supply for the site.

“Due to the speedy action of the passer by an explosion was avoided.

“A group of youths took a photo of him, caught the culprit, and passed his name and address on to the police.

“We will be sending a fire safety team to the site to advise them about site security and storage of flammable items.

“They need to think about where they put the waste.

“The heat produced from the skip could have caused an explosion.

“Thankfully it was spotted before it got to that stage.

“Building sites are dangerous places and youngsters shouldn’t be playing in them.”

Fire crews used a hose reel to extinguish the fire and spent around 40 minutes at the site.

The skip contained general building waste from the construction of the new Prairie Sports Village development.

A police spokeswoman said: “At 8.55pm on Thursday we had a call from the fire service.

“They had been given a photograph of a potential offender in relation to a deliberate fire.

“The fire service had spoken to witnesses at the scene and the photograph was due to be passed to the police for them to make their enquiries.”