Fire at Birkenhead flats started deliberately

May 16 2012 Birkenhead News

Fire at Birkenhead flats started deliberately

A FIRE on the seventh floor of a block of flats in Birkenhead was started deliberately.

Firefighters were called to Neston Gardens, near Beckwith Street, at 6.45pm on Sunday.

The fire was in the communal area on the seventh floor.

Five fire engines were requested to help conduct a search of the block of flats to make sure all the occupants were safe.

The fire was extinguished by 7.45pm and a woman was treated by paramedics for slight smoke inhalation, but did not require hospital treatment.

Tony Harland, watch manager with Merseyside fire service’s incident investigation team, said: “This fire had the potential to have spread, and it was only the early intervention of fire crews that stopped anyone else being put at risk.”

The police investigation into the fire continues.