Firefighters sound warning after yet another arson attack on Melton estate

That was the reaction of incident commander Scott Smith after his crew responded to reports of a car being set alight in the early hours of Sunday.

Investigators later found the blaze, at 12.52am in Drummond Walk, was started deliberately.

Firefighter Smith, crew manager at the town station, told the Melton Times: “This committed one of the town’s fire crews for an hour leaving just four firefighters to cover the rest of the town and borough.

“Car fires give off lots of toxic smoke so when this happens on close housing estates the individuals responsible probably don’t realise the number of lives they’re putting at risk, firstly firefighters dealing with the blaze, the many members of the public in the area and anyone else who needs the fire brigade within the Melton borough.”

The vehicle set on fire was a Peugeot 206, which suffered extensive damage. Firefighters used a hose reel and breathing apparatus to tackle the blazing car, which had been parked near the football cage.

Firefighter Smith added: “Fire investigation revealed the car was believed to have been deliberately set on fire underneath the rear passenger wheel compartment, which spread and destroyed the rest of the vehicle.”

Officers from Leicestershire Police attended the incident.

This was the third time fire crews have been called out to deal with arson attacks on vehicles on the estate in the last six weeks.