Police probe arson attack on car and bike
DETECTIVES are investigating after a motorbike and car were engulfed in flames in Runcorn.
The blaze was reported on Parker Street at 12.30am on Monday and is now being treated as arson.
A nearby house that was damaged by the fire and neighbouring properties were evacuated after emergency services descended on the area.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) said “no-one was unaccounted” for.
Several people had been inside the house when the blaze started.
Mersey ward police tweeted at around 9am on Monday that an officer was expected to be visiting the area with an open invitation to residents with “any issues or information regarding recent incidents”.
When the Weekly News visited the area on Monday morning, a large rectangle of badly charred ground with a stub of debris marked the spot where the fire took place.
A nearby window was boarded up.
One man, who asked not to be named, said the fire was probably deliberate and people who thought otherwise “need to give (their) head a wobble”.
Anthony Moffatt, of nearby Bold Street, said he thought a thief had probably bungled trying to steal the bike and it ignited by accident in the process and they “did a runner”.
Asked about “recent incidents”, one woman said: “There’s never been anything.
“I’ve lived here a long time and there’s never been anything like this ever.
“I don’t know anything myself other than a car was in flames”.
Detective Constable Paul Cullen, of Runcorn CID, said: “The blaze caused significant damage to the motorbike and a house close by and we believe it was started deliberately.
“A number of people were evacuated as a precaution and the consequences could have been far worse if they had not become aware of the fire.
“We have been following a number of lines of enquiry and are determined to identify those responsible and ensure they face the full consequences of their actions”.
Anyone with any information about the incident should call Cheshire police on 101 quoting IML 810089, visit www.cheshire. police.uk/ro/report, or provide details anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.