AN ARSON attack gutted the living room of a house in Spencer Street, Burnley.

The building was well alight when fire crews arrived shortly before 9pm last night.

They found that the back door had been kicked in and a fire deliberately started in the settee in the living room.

Firefighters from Burnley and Padiham used a high pressure jet and a hose reel to bring the blaze under control.

The living room was destroyed and smoke damage caused to the rest of the house. Smoke also damaged upstairs rooms of the house next door.

Station Officer Barry Graham said: "It looks like someone broke in and decided to put a match to it.''

No-one was in the house at the time. Police and fire chiefs are carrying out further investigations into the incident.

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