There is no indication of criminal activity in a fire that killed over 50 birds in Wirral yesterday.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed to the ECHO they are still working to establish the cause of the blaze that ripped through an allotment off Hoylake Road in Bidston.
Fire crews were at the scene by 12:47pm as the fire decimated a number of sheds and forced ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs to run for cover.
While the cause remains "undetermined" at this point, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: "There is nothing at this point which indicates criminal activity."
Speaking to the ECHO at the scene yesterday, allotment-holder John Walton, who is also a local resident, said after tending to his pigeons all morning, he had left the site and arrived home for lunch when he got a call to say his shed was on fire.
He rushed down to the scene to discover that half of his pigeons, totalling over 50, had perished in the blaze.
John said: "I've lost half of them, it's really sad but what can you do. Two of them here lost every bird in their loft.
"It's all wooden timber down here, so it just went up and the wind pulled the fire along the sheds."
Another allotment holder, who asked not to be named, said he was at the allotment tending to his ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs when the fire took hold.
He said: "It just went up so fast, thick black smoke. The ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs they ran under the sheds to take cover from the smoke, thankfully they were all alright.
"There are chickens here too and they were running about in a panic. The smoke was just so dense."
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One nearby resident, Jane, who asked only to be referred to be her first name, said she had been "scared" the fire would spread and it was a "relief" how quickly fire crews got it under control.
She said: "The fire crew were here quickly and it wasn’t long before they got it under control. It was scary but a relief they managed to stop them all going up.”
