Shropshire village van fire 'being treated as arson' after perpetrators flee from scene

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service received a call at 12.01am this morning reporting the incident on Cornwall Avenue in Gobowen.

One crew was sent from Oswestry to the scene where a Transit van was destroyed by the flames. Police also attended the incident.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze using hosereel jets and breathing apparatus, and checked for hotspots using a thermal imaging camera.

Police conducted thorough investigations to the incident, and have obtained CCTV footage from the van owner's house and nearby properties after the perpetrators were seen running away from the scene.

Oswestry Fire Station posted an update on Facebook, saying: "Upon arrival, crews found a transit van fully involved in fire.

"The police were on scene conducting thorough investigations and obtaining CCTV footage from the house hold and nearby properties. The incident is being treated as arson, with perpetrators seen running away from the scene.

"This was a good stop by Oswestry firefighters, the fire was extinguished quickly, preventing potential escalation to a nearby house which was occupied by two adults and one child. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported.

"This was a commendable response from Oswestry firefighters, effectively preventing a more serious incident."

Firefighters also explained how they struggled to reach the scene, saying their appliance was "unable to drive down either Cornwall Avenue or down Almond Avenue to reach the property due to vehicles parking directly on the junctions".

They were finished at the scene by 12.54am.

A West Mercia Police spokesperson added: "We received a call just after midnight this morning (24 July) with a report of a van on fire on Cornwall Avenue in Gobowen in Shropshire.

"Officers attended the incident and it is being treated as arson. An investigation is now on going."

Anyone with information can contact the force on 101 quoting reference number 00001_I_24072024.