TWO vehicles have been burnt out in seperate incidents of suspected arson that saw residents evacuated from a Kendal block of flats for their own safety this morning.

Fire and police investigators are examining the charred remains of a Vauxhall Vectra that was burnt out while parked in a garage under the Queen’s Lodge flats, in Chapel lane.

The fire was put out by retained fire crews from kendal Fire Station, who were alerted to the blaze at around 2.45am.

The blaze damaged the roof of the garage and the heat damaged other nearby cars.

Andrew Brodie, station Manager at Kendal Fire Station, said the blaze was very dangerous and could have put lives at risk.

People living in the first floor of the block of flats were evacuated while crews tackled the fire.

“It was parked in a garage under a flat, but the floor of the flat was a concrete floor so it didn’t catch light. But it was a very serious incident.

“Had that floor not had been concrete it may well have spread into the flats above. I believe it had melted the waste pipe - had it breached that it would have been hazardous.”

In a seperate incident, at Lowther Street, an open-backed van was found ablaze at around 12.45am.

Police are investigating the two incidents.

Station Manager Brodie said: “Whether the two incidents are linked or if they were started by the same person we don’t know, but we believe they were started deliberately.”

For the full story see the Westmorland Gazette next week.