THE roofs of four empty houses were destroyed after the one was torched and the blaze spread this morning.

Firefighters from Nelson were called to the fire in Cambridge Street, Brierfield, at 3am and spent about two hours tackling the blaze.

Three engines attended and an aerial platform was used. A fire service spokesman said: “The fire was going well when crews got there but it didn’t affect any occupied homes. The building was easily accessible so the culprit could have got in anywhere.”