UPDATE: 11.26am
A Gwent Police spokesman said: "Police were called to the Hillcroft Garage, Langstone, at about 9.10pm last night after a fire had spread from a tree at the bottom of the yard causing damage to some scrap vehicles and a trailer
"A 14 year old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson shortly afterwards and remains in police custody at this time."
UPDATE 11.24am
Andrew Williams, workshop manager at the garage, said the fire was started by “some kids causing mischief”.
He added that the fire damaged three cars, the garage’s van and fencing at the bottom of the car park.
The three cars were owned by the garage and not worth repairing, while the van was a “total loss”.
“They have been causing trouble in the field before, lighting bales of hay and grass firews,” he said.
“Someone in the field lit a piece of plastic on a tree and the fire caught fencing and then the cars,” he said.”
He added about the fire: “It looked like a space shuttle was being launched with the trees on fire.
“They were old vehicles of ours that weren’t worth repairing.
“The fire melted the front of most of the cars
“Our van was there too and that’s a total loss.”
He added: “It’s lucky nobody was hurt or injured and that it wasn’t any closer to the other vehicles parked.”
The cars that were damaged 'were not worth repairing' before the fire. The fronts of the cars melted. The van is a 'total loss'.
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
A tree that was set alight spread to the cars. "It looked like a space shuttle was being launched when the tree was on fire," Andrew said.
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
He added that it was three cars (not four) and their van that was damaged by the fire. Fencing has also been damaged.
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
Andrew Williams, workshop manager, said 'some kids causing mischief' started the fire. pic.twitter.com/VHcklYF5Gh
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
Here's the Hillcroft Garage where the fire took place last night. Three cars and a van were destroyed. Nobody injured pic.twitter.com/F1BagiOzvd
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
Police are at the scene now waiting for crime scene investigators to arrive.
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
The fire took place at the bottom of the car park. I can't get any closer as the crime scene has been closed. pic.twitter.com/JfiHBJcvAd
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
UPDATE 10.01 AM:
The area has been closed off for police crime scene investigators to determine the cause of the fire. pic.twitter.com/h7JOYMgnS8
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
UPDATE 9.58 AM:
REPORTER Chris Seal is at the scene.
Four cars and a van were destroyed in a garage fire in Newport off Chepstow Road last night. I'm there in the Hillcroft Garage car park.
— Chris Seal (@ArgusCSeal) May 28, 2015
POLICE cordoned off a garage fire amid fears of a gas canister explosion in Newport last night.
Four cars and a van were destroyed in the fire in the car park of Hillcroft Garage on Chepstow Road at around 9pm.
The suspected deliberate fire is believed to have started in nearby trees and “spread rapidly” to the cars stored at Hill Cross Garage, a fire service spokeswoman said.
She added that the fire could also have started from rubbish that had been set alight and spread to the garage car park.
20 cylinders containing the chemical compound acetylene, LPG, argon and oxygen were close to the fire and had to be cooled down by fire fighters.
Police also put up a cordon of 200m around the garage amid fears that the canisters could explode.
A South Wales Police spokesman said that it appeared to be “a deliberate ignition to something either at the premises or a nearby property”.
He added that police put up a cordon of 200m as it was a “large blaze” and there were fears that there were canisters in there at the time.
“Garage premises are always a concern due to the equipment used there.”
The site has now been declared safe for an investigation to take place.
He added that officers would be making enquiries in the area and checking CCTV this morning.
A fire service spokeswoman said they received a call from a member of the public at 8.48pm of trees on fire but when they attended the scene it had already spread to the garage car park.
She added that three water ladders, a water bowser, four main jets, two ground monitors, one hose reel jet, two thermal imaging cameras and three breathing apparatus were used to tackle the blaze.
She said that the site has now been declared safe for an investigation to take place.
Crews from Malpas, Duffryn and Cwmbran attended the scene.
The canisters are set to be removed from the site.
Have you got pictures of the fire?
Email them to us at newsdesk@southwalesargus.co.uk
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