A SUSPICIOUS house fire is being investigated after a property in Burnley was destroyed by the blaze.

Police and firefighters were called to the end terrace house on Springfield Road yesterday after reports of flames roaring through the property.

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The alarm was raised by Ian McGee who lives opposite the house.

Ian, a fire marshal at Burnley FC, said: “It was the smoke that woke me up. I looked out of the window and saw all the flames from the downstairs window and smoke everywhere so I raised the alarm.

“This was my first night living here. It’s an unwelcome start.”

Firefighters were called at around 10.45am and two crews from Burnley attended. They were at the scene for around around 90 minutes.

Shocked Shannon Wilson, 17, and her family moved out of the rented property just two weeks ago.

She said: “I got a call off my mate saying my old house was on fire. We had lived there for more than five years but for the last few months we’d had no hot water or heating.

“I couldn’t breathe when I got here. I had a lucky escape. I lived there with with my mum and brother and sister.”

Friend Becky Heys, 18, who lives nearby, saw the fire.

She said: “I saw the flames and the thick smoke. You could see the flames coming out of the bottom window and you could hear the windows smash.”

Chris Jackson, PCSO for the Burnley Wood area, said: “It’s a fire of suspicious origin. Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101.”