FIREFIGHTERS are treating a blaze as suspicious after 12 scrap wagons were set on fire.

Officers were called to the Walsh and Dearden premises, in Sough Road, Darwen, about 3am today to find almost half of the yard's 30 vehicles well alight.

They were at the scene for two hours and used two jets to stop the fire spreading before extinguishing the flames.

All the 12 wagons were destroyed by the fire and surrounding vehicles were badly heat damaged.

Leading firefighter Tom Ashworth said: "It could have been a lot worse. The fire could have gone right through the yard. We are treating it as suspicious."