Shops arson attack

Reporter: KAREN DOHERTY and RICHARD HOOTON
Date online: 14 December 2009

A MASSIVE blaze which ripped though a shopping arcade in Shaw town centre today is being treated as arson.

Forty firefighters tackled the flames at the The Four Lane End shopping centre in Milnrow Road — which has suffered spate of attacks. The blaze started in Crazy Fast Foods Takeaway shortly after 2.30am at the precinct, which is also known as Greenway.

Crews battled to stop the roof collapsing into neighbouring shops. The takeaway — which has been attacked three times in three weeks — was wrecked.

Lewelle’s hairdresser, Lewisbet bookmakers, The Bubble Patch haberdashery and two empty shops were also damaged.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus and a high platform to tackle the blaze which has left traders counting the cost in the run up to Christmas.

Watch Commander Mark Beswick from Oldham confirmed that the incident was being treated as suspicious.

He said: “When we got there, Crazy Foods was well alight. Then the fire started spreading through the roof space into adjacent shops.

“The way it was spreading made it very difficult to get to. We had to break into a number of shops and then fight the fire from inside.

“It also badly smoke-logged the other shops and everyone in there will be affected.”

Crews from from Oldham, Chadderton, Ashton and Blackley took more than two hours hours to bring the fire under control.

No one was in the takeaway which had closer earlier in the morning.

A fortnight ago the Chronicle revealed that it had been attacked for a third time.

At 2.30am on November 30, crews from Chadderton and Oldham found the rear of the property was on fire but it had burnt itself out before it had chance to spread.

The back door had been kicked in and there was a strong smell of petrol. The property was previously targeted the week before and in August.

A joint investigation has been launched by a specialist fire team and the police into the latest incident. Scenes of crime officers were due to visit the arcade later tod this morning.

Watch commander Colin Moren said: “It was a well-developed fire. Oldham and Chadderton did a good job stopping it spreading to the other units.

“It was very difficult to tackle but we managed to stop the roof collapsing. We are still finding pockets of fire.”

Milnrow Road was partially closed during morning rush hour.