HOMES EVACUATED AFTER CITY ARSON
FIVE children were among 11 people evacuated from their homes in Cardiff following a suspected arson attack.
A mattress was deliberately set on fire and a gas main was damaged inside a property in Constellation Street in Adamsdown on Wednesday night.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called at 9.57pm following reports of a refuse fire.
On arrival crews reported a mattress against a building was on fire and a gas main had been damaged inside the property.
Firefighters immediately requested assistance from utility services and an evacuation of nearby properties was carried out.
The fire service said a total of 11 people, including five children, were evacuated while crews and utility services made the area safe.
According to the fire service the blaze was deliberately set and caused damage to two homes and a vehicle.
A further six homes were also checked by crews for gas readings.
Hala Mohamed, 42, lives with her four children in the property next to the house where the fire took place.
Hala said two women knocked on her door when they saw the fire before she took her children out of the house while emergency services battled the flames.
Hala and her family stayed with a neighbour until she was allowed back into her property yesterday.
She said: “I was upstairs with my kids and ladies knocked the door to tell me.”
Hala said she was scared for her children when the incident was going on.
Andy Williams, who lives in Constellation Street with his wife and two children, said he saw the fire shortly after it started when he was going out to pick up his phone charger from work.
Andy, 38, said: “It was really blazing. It was quite ferocious.”
He said there had been a wooden bed stand and a mattress outside the house wrapped up as if it had been put there to be taken away as rubbish.
“It was all properly wrapped up for collection. It wasn’t dumped.”
He said people were trying to put the fire out and a group even tried to drag the mattress away from the property.
“Just before I left I heard a crack and a bang. I think that was the windows cracking from the heat.”
Sean Sartin, 23, who lives a few doors away from where the fire took place with his family, said there was some “debris” outside the house.
He first became aware of the incident just after the final whistle of Wales’ Euro 2016 game against Portugal at about 10pm and got back into the house at around 12.20am.
He said: “I could smell something. My sister said there was something outside. We just had a look what the commotion was really. It stank of gas all around here for a good hour or so.
“They could have evacuated us but they said stay outside for the meantime. They did come in to check the gas.”
Nathanael Ashworth, 23, who lives a few doors down from the house which the fire was outside, was watching Wales play Portugal in Central Bar in the city centre on Wednesday night.
When he returned home he was greeted with the aftermath of the fire just a few doors away from the home he shares with his partner Alex.
He said: “They had no way of contacting us. It was a bit of a surprise but what can you do?”
South Wales Police said two mattresses were set alight in the street but said it does not appear to be a malicious act targeted towards any of the occupants of the street.
House to house inquiries are continuing and CCTV is being checked to identify those responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting occurrence number 1600253169.