‘Suspicious’ blaze at empty flat
APOLICE officer has said a suspicious fire at a Southport flat could have caused ‘‘loss of life.’’
The emergency services were called to an address in Castle Walk in Southport at 7.30am on Tuesday morning (May 17) following reports of a fire.
Firefighters with breathing apparatus entered and put out the fire. Crews, were on site for around 50 minutes, also carried out a seach of the building.
The flat was empty at the time of the fire, and that nobody was injured.
The fire service and police force have since launched a joint investigation into the cause of the fire, which is being treated as suspicious.
A police spokesman said officers were called out by the fire service. A search was carried out and forensic officers have examined the scene.
House-to-house enquiries have taken place and CCTV is being assessed.
Detective Constable Adam Youds told the Visiter: “We are treating this fire as suspicious and urge anyone with any informa- tion about this incident to call us so we can take action against the offender or offenders.
“Any fire has the potential to cause loss of life and it is fortunate that no-one was injured, or worse.”
A spokesman for the fire service said: “The cause of the fire is suspected deliberate ignition.
“A joint investigation will now take place between Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s Incident Investigation Team and Merseyside Police.”
Anyone with details can call Sefton CID on 0151 777 3837 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.