Pickering caravan fire being treated as arson

Police are keen to hear from anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the town centre on Monday night

Author: Edward BreslinPublished 21st Nov 2020

Police say they've launched an arson investigation after a fire in Pickering on Monday night which led to homes being evacuated and a main road being closed for a number of hours.

Shortly after 10pm, firefighters were called to a caravan which was ablaze in the area of Southgate in the town centre.

The fire spread to some nearby outbuildings, and a number of homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated.

Police also closed the main A170 road through the town to keep the public safe and allow emergency services to work at the scene.

Firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze, and families were allowed back into their homes and the road was reopened by 2am.

Investigations into the cause of the fire have led police to treat it as arson.

They're now keen to hear from anyone who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area at the time, or anyone who has information which may help their investigation.

You can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1 and quote reference 12200202265.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.