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Burnage fire: Was it arson?
Paul R Taylor24/ 3/2008
ARSONISTS could be to blame for a massive fire that destroyed a block of flats in Burnage and caused power cuts to 3,000 homes across the area.
More than 50 fire fighters tackled the blaze at the five-storey apartment building, which was under construction, on Sunday night at about 10.30pm on Burnage Lane.
They battled for two hours to stop the fire spreading to the nearby 24-hour Tesco superstore, and flames could be seen shooting 40ft into the air from miles around.
Witnesses
The blaze is believed to have started in a power station on the building site and fire investigation officers say they have an 'open mind' about the cause. They are not ruling out that it was started deliberately and police are appealing for witnesses.
Crews from eight fire engines used hoses and two aerial platforms to tackle the fire.
No one is believed to have been injured.
Station commander Wayne Guffogg said: "It was brought under control around midnight.
"It was a very big fire and there were around 500 people who came from across the area to watch.
"At its height, flames were shooting 40ft into the air and could been seen from miles around."
Fire investigation officers are currently on scene attempting to establish the cause.
The local authority buildings inspector has also been to the scene.
Power was restored to the 3,000 homes by midnight but Tesco was closed all day on Easter Monday. The fire service received more than 100 emergency calls about the fire.
Damage
A spokesman for United Utilities said: "The substation suffered substantial damage as a result of the fire.
"We managed to re-route the supply to domestic properties by midnight, but the Tesco superstore requires a lot of power and weren't able to reconnect it immediately.
"We sent three engineers to the scene and they were liasing with the fire service to gain access to the substation."
Several local roads were closed as a result of the fire.
Burnage Lane was still closed yesterday afternoon between Fog lane and Cranwell Drive. Lane End Road was closed from Kingsway towards Burnage Lane, and Kingsleigh Road was closed at the junction with Brassington Road.
Anyone with information call West Didsbury CID on 0161 8566153 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Most recent 2 of 10 user comments
27/03/2008 at 13:27
Got an opinion you want to share?Have changes to the service meant that you now see your dentist less regularly?
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Whilst anyone with a heart would have sympathy for the builders, I imagine a hefty insurance claim will be submitted so the developers should be ok.
Well done to the services for their handling of the situation...I was diverted by the police a couple of times and I got nothing but civility and courtesy.
Hopefully the burned out site will not take over from Renold's as the blot on the local landscape!
1/04/2008 at 00:49