Arson attack at Barrowford house 'may have been grudge'

8:30am Friday 8th August 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A FATHER and his ten-year-old son are ‘lucky to be alive’ after an arson attack on their £450,000 family home.

Police said they were probing whether the blaze in Gisburn Road, Barrowford, was started by someone with a grudge against the owner.

The fire broke out about 11.25pm on Wednesday and caused severe damage to the front room of the four-bedroom detached home.

A man and his son were asleep in the property at the time but were woken by a fire alarm and managed to escape from the house.

Yesterday the house had been taped off and scenes-of-crime officers could be seen in the garden carrying out forensic tests.

Two officers dressed in riot gear were in place at the gates of the property as the investigation progressed.

And police dogs were also present at the scene along with a number of CID officers, who making thorough door-to-door inquiries in the area.

Det Insp Derek Jones, of Nelson CID, said: “We’re treating the fire as suspicious and are following a number of lines of inquiry at the moment. One of those is that the occupant has been targeted specifically but we are keeping an open mind.”

The four-bedroom detached family home, which also has a large garden and conservatory, is currently up for sale at £465,000.

It is described by estate agents as being located in a ‘mature, well established and sought-after’ area.

Neighbours expressed their shock at the late night blaze. One local resident, who asked not to be named, said: “Next door said they heard a smash last week coming from the house and then we heard another one last night. We could see both the fire and police officers searching the garden for ages.”

Another resident, who also asked to remain anonymous, added: ”I haven’t seen the family around for a few weeks. They tend to keep themselves to themselves. They have three boys, who are all lovely and they play in the garden but they are usually quiet.”

Officers from Nelson Fire Station put out the blaze.

Watch manager Tom Ashworth, believes the pair are lucky to be alive. He said: “Both of them were in a really deep sleep at the time of the incident but they heard the smoke alarm, which woke them up and it saved their lives.

Mr Ashworth added that Mr Atkinson reportedly fought the fire with a garden hose before being forced to retreat.

Det Insp Jones, said they have launched a large scale investigation and are currently working in conjunction with Lancashire Fire and Rescue to ascertain the cause of the fire.

He said: “Members of the Forensic Analysis and Crime Scene Investigation teams have carried out tests and we have begun making house-to-house inquiries, both of which will continue.”

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Nelson CID on 01282 472618.