10 Dec 2012
A fire at a fuel depot in Suffolk may have been started deliberately, police and fire safety officers investigating the incident believe.
The blaze caused £500,000 worth of damage and destroyed 35,750 litres of kerosene, gas, oil and diesel when it set alight three tankers at Ukay Fuels on the Lady Lane Industrial Estate in Hadleigh.
The BBC reported that around 200 people have helped the police and fire safety officers with their inquiries so far.
As well as speaking to witnesses and gathering information about the fuel depot fire they have also been looking in to several other smaller suspected arson attacks around Hadleigh in the last year.
Ten fire crews fought the blaze on 16 November after they were called to the scene at around 6.30pm.
After placing a 300m cordon around the fuel depot and closing nearby roads, the fire officers managed to put out the fire and prevent it spreading to a third tanker..
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales says that a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment must be carried out on all commercial properties, with an unlimited fine or maximum prison sentence of two years for the Responsible Person if they fail to comply.
Copyright Press Association 2012