Young vandals are being blamed after fire broke out in a derelict car body shop.
Firefighters called to the scene, in South Avenue, Southend, believe children set fire to rubbish and paint thinners inside the abandoned store at 6.30pm yesterday.
Southend firefighters had the flames out in about ten minutes and the building was undamaged.
But station officer Peter Bennett said if crews had not arrived as quickly as they did, the fire could have been very serious.
He said: "This is a residential area. Luckily we had the fire contained fairly quickly and it did not spread beyond the rubbish pile.
"But these kids could have been burned. Derelict buildings are not good places for kids to hang around in. They are not safe."
Published Tuesday, April 8, 2003
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