Wolverhampton office gutted in arson attack

Nov 21 2009 by Chris Henwood, Birmingham Mail

AN OFFICE was gutted in a suspected arson blaze.

Smoke billowed for miles around Wolverhampton’s Parkside Industrial Estate, in Hickman Avenue, at around 2am yesterday as the fire ravaged the offices of RP Hardware.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said they believed burglars set fire to the factory office after breaking in.

Two fire crews from Wolverhampton and two from Fallings Park were sent out to the blaze.

Wolverhampton crew commander Mick Peake said police were “treating the fire with suspicion”.

“We had to work hard to get into the building and used cutting equipment to gain access,” he said.

“The fire was well-established by the time we got there and the building was severely damaged, the business will be affected.”