Caravan 'completely destroyed' in Waterside fire
A car, fence and an oil tank were also damaged in the blaze
A fire in Londonderry has completely destroyed a caravan, damaged a car parked nearby, a fence and an oil tank.
Police patrolling the Waterside area of Derry at 5:20am today spotted a large volume of smoke coming from Strathfoyle.
Upon arrival officers found a caravan on fire in Stradowen Drive.
NIFRS attended and extinguished the blaze. A small number of homes were evacuated as emergency services dealt with the incident.
No one was in the caravan at the time, and there have been no reports of any injuries.
Detectives from the Strand Road Criminal Investigation Branch are treating the fire as arson.
Detective Sergeant Ballentine said: "We are extremely grateful for the quick actions of our officers, and for the swift response from the Fire Service in bringing the situation under control.
"However, given the close proximity from where the caravan was parked and to homes in the area, we are incredibly fortunate that the fire didn't spread further, and that no one was injured.
"Our officers have been in the area conducting enquiries, and we're appealing to anyone with information, or who saw anything suspicious from around 5am to 5.20am, to get in touch with us. We'd also ask anyone with CCTV or doorbell cameras to check their footage for any suspicious activity."
Read More:
Dungiven security alert 'nothing untoward'
Donaldson accuses DUP colleagues of briefing against the party