Fire crews have put out a blaze at a derelict former Indian restaurant after it was deliberately set on fire early this morning.
Two fire engines were sent out to the disused building on Cambridge Road in Ellesmere Port just after 7.30pm after they had been alerted by a member of the public.
On arrival at the former Indian restaurant, crews discovered a fire in a ground floor extension at the back of the two-storey building.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel jet to put out the fire.
Crews then damped down the area affected by the fire and looked for hotspots with a thermal imaging camera.
After they were satisfied that the building was safe the incident was handed over to the police for investigation after confirmation the fire had been started deliberately using “waste material at the rear of the building”, Cheshire Live reported.
A senior firefighter at the scene said: “There was no danger to life and the fire was contained within the building.
“But we would like to warn people about the dangers of starting fires deliberately, especially in the current climate.”
The ECHO reported earlier this month that alleyway around the back of the derelict building was cordoned off after a 34-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured on Cambridge Road.
Police had also been called out to the derelict building recently after an attempted burglary where a window was smashed and entry to the building was gained but nothing was taken.
Inspector Ian Stead, of Ellesmere Port Local Policing Unit, said: “A fire investigator has confirmed that the fire was started deliberately.
“It caused significant damage to a ground floor extension at the back of the building, but the consequences of this incident could have been far worse.
“We believe that people have been going into the extension since the restaurant closed down.
“Thankfully, no-one was inside the building when the fire took hold, no-one was injured as a result of the blaze and firefighters were able to extinguish it before it had chance to spread beyond the extension.
“Fire spreads quickly and can endanger lives as well as properties.
“I would like to reassure members of the community that this is believed to be an isolated incident and we are determined to establish who started the fire and make them face the consequences of their actions.
“Enquiries are ongoing and as part of our investigation we want to speak to anyone who was in the area that morning and witnessed anything suspicious.
“We also want to hear from anyone who thinks they may know who started the fire, or have CCTV or dashcam footage of them.”
Anyone with information or footage that may help the investigation should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 714844, give the details via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
