There was panic - a woman who lived there was screaming there might still be people inside

Tyler Murray, of Fleetwood, was driving past a shop unit below a block of flats, Regent Chambers, at around 7.20pm last night and saw flames inside.

He called firefighters and crews rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze, with police also in attendance.

Police confirmed today that the incident was being treated as arson, and reports on social media suggested it was started deliberately by youths posting lit sparklers through the letterbox.

Tyler saw the occupants of the flat rush out and heard their panic as they feared others my still have been inside.

Thankfully, there were no reports of casualties.

Tyler said: “I think was the first to arrive as I drove past and saw the fire just as it started. I acted quickly and rang 999. The fire brigade arrived and the police shortly followed.

“There was a lot of panic, a woman who lived there was across the road with her dog, screaming and saying that there might still be some people inside.

“There was also a man who said he lived there, he came running out just as it happened, when the fire alarm was going off, he kept saying that he wasn’t sure if people were still inside the flats.

“The first thing I did was ring the fire brigade and they came. About three of them all went running up the stairs to see if anyone was there. Whilst one of them immediately started putting the fire out. The smoke covered the town as far as I could see in about five minutes.”

Fire crews used six breathing apparatus, three hose reels, one triple extension ladder and lighting to extinguish the fire.

Confirming suspicions of arson, Lancashire Police said: “That’s the information we have. It’s being treated as an arson and enquiries are underway.

“Anyone with information can get in touch with us quoting log 1242 of March 25.”