Staff at a vehicle repair centre in the centre of Highbridge have been counting the cost of a deliberate fire which damaged four cars on Friday night (February 26th).
As first reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com, two fire crews and a team of police officers from Burnham-On-Sea rushed to CJK Vehicle Repairs in Kings Street at 8.41pm after a car was set alight by arsonists.
A classic 1964 Rover P5 saloon was badly damaged in the fire, which quickly spread and left three other modern vehicles with heat damage. See video here.
The garage’s Chris Kerton told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’re all gutted that this happened – it’s mindless vandalism.”
He added: “The Rover was in perfect working condition, but now the insides have been completely burned out and the roof has been bent.”
“It was a miracle the fuel tanks didn’t ignite and explode, causing even more damage.”
Inspector Roger Tolley of Burnham Police told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Saturday morning that a probe into the incident was ongoing.
He said: “Our investigation is continuing into this suspected case of arson.”
“The forensics team have been gathering evidence and inquiries are also underway regarding the sighting of several youngsters in the area at the time of the fire.”
A local resident told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Friday night that a group of youths had been seen in the area just minutes before the blaze.
Our photo (top) shows the repair centre’s Ben Griffiths surveying the damage on Saturday morning and, above, fire crews at the scene on Friday night
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Online video of fire crews at the scene
In photos: Fire crews battle arson blaze at Highbridge garage
