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Old paper mill site blaze suspected arson attack

Federica Bedendo,North East and Cumbriaand
Jennie Dennett,in Barrow
News imageBBC The derelict Salthouse Mills site in Barrow. A red brick wall with black scorch marks is surrounded by debris from a fire. The wall has arches where iron bars would have once been. There is no roof on the building.BBC
The site used to be Barrow's paper mill and closed about 50 years ago

A fire that devastated the site of a former paper mill was a suspected arson attack, police said.

Firefighters spent four hours tackling the blaze at Salthouse Mills in Barrow on 27 July and have returned twice since to completely douse it down.

Cumbria Police said the blaze at the former Victorian paper mill on the industrial estate - which shut about 50 years ago - was being treated as arson. No arrests have yet been made.

One of three tenants to rent space at the site, Alec Cowsill, who does up classic Land Rovers, said he had lost all his tools and vehicles in the fire.

The corrugated roof collapsed entirely in the blaze and debris at the scene includes the blackened remains of cars, combusted tyres and wheels of wires next to piles of blackened red bricks and twisted metal.

News imageA pile of red bricks next to a derelict building and twisted metal at the Salthouse Mills site in Barrow. There are bushes growing out of the derelict red-brick building. There is a heavy plant machine in the background, in front of part of another derelict building.
Firefighters were on site for four hours when the blaze broke out on 27 July

"[The roof] fell down within 20 minutes of the fire," Cowsill said.

He said he arrived as soon as the alarm was raised at about 18:30 BST and the flames were 30 to 40ft high (9.1 to 12.1m) with thick smoke.

News imagePiles of twisted blackened metal at the Salthouse Mills site in Barrow, which has been hit by a fire. There is debris all around the site, including piles of red bricks.
Tenant Alec Cowsill said the roof of the building collapsed quickly

He lost several cars, a telehandler and about £20,000 worth of tools needed for his retirement, side-hustle.

"I'm a bit sickened, there's not a lot I can do about it, it's knackered my plans for the future and finance," he said.

He added he had now received notice to vacate his space at the site by the end of September, ready for demolition.

News imagePiles of twisted blackened metal and a scorched car at the Salthouse Mills site in Barrow, which has been hit by a fire.
Alec Cowsill lost his cars and tools in the blaze

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