AN ARSONIST may have burned himself while setting fire to a business unit at Rawtenstall.

Flames ripped through the PBA fabric mill shop at a building owned by Lancashire Enterprise in Newhallhey Road.

The fire destroyed the ground floor and caused heat and smoke damage to the first and smoke damage to the second floors.

About 20 firefighters battled through the early hours yesterday.

Later, the fire brigade's sniffer dog found petrol or a similar inflammable substance had been poured in the three ground floor rooms and set alight.

And Assistant Divisional Officer Neville Earnshaw has told detectives that the arsonist may have been burned as the flames took hold.

Checks were made yesterday in the casualty units at local hospitals to see if anyone had gone in for treatment for burns.

Mr Earnshaw, who is leading the fire brigade's investigation, said: "This is yet another business in the town that has suffered.

"The fire was well alight when we arrived.

"It was based on the ground floor and flames were coming out from there and going back into the building through a first floor window which had broken with the heat. The fire was rapidly developing.

"The building was insecure and there appeared to be signs of a forced entry.

"We found several areas that had been doused with petrol. Two petrol containers and a holdall used to carry them were recovered and they are being looked at by forensic officers. "Someone made a determined effort on this occasion to set this fire. There is a fair chance that arsonist has received burns.

"It is unusual for them to leave their tools behind which they have on this occasion."

Mr Earnshaw said he could not comment on speculation that one person was responsible for more than one of the spate of fires to hit Rossendale in the last nine months, causing more than £2 million damage.

In the latest fire, four fire engines from Rawtenstall, Haslingden and Accrington, together with the incident support unit from Accrington, were called to the scene just after 3am after the alarm was raised. No-one was hurt.

The blaze happened just four days after a major fire severely damaged a former cotton mill in East Parade, Rawtenstall, used by Rossendale Slipper.

More than 100 firefighters from across the county dealt with the incident and residents living in 30 homes nearby were evacuated.

In a short spell during the summer there were fires at National Carpet Company, New Line, Bacup, which caused more than £1 million damage, and neighbouring businesses Michael Tattersall's wholesale footwear and Richard Corts car showroom, Waterfoot.

Union Works, Waterfoot, Palm Accessories handbag manufacturer, Albion Mill, Waterfoot, and R&M Stansfield vehicle repairers, Victoria Mill, Stacksteads, were also hit. More recently Heritage Arcade, Rawtenstall, was damaged by a fire.

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