POLICE are investigating a suspected arson attack in which fire ripped through part of a derelict industrial estate.

Fire crews converged on Brokenford Lane in Totton yesterday after flames started shooting out of a two-storey office building behind a row of bungalows.

No-one was evacuated but police closed the road and told everyone to stay away from a short sidestreet leading to the site.

Josh Geddes, 15, said he heard a roaring noise and the sound of at least one car speeding away from the site.

He added: “I looked out and saw flames taller than the building itself, plus a lot of thick black smoke.”

The industrial buildings occupy a large area between Brokenford Lane and Totton’s main railway line.

One resident said: “It’s a glory hole for children, especially at the weekends. The kids have had a go before, setting fire to various bits and pieces,” he said.

Daily Echo:

About 25 personnel from fire stations across Hampshire tackled the blaze, which began just before 6am.

Residents awoke to find the narrow road full of fire engines and police cars. An ambulance car was also sent to the scene to provide emergency cover but no-one was hurt.

Fire service station manager Chris George said: “The fire was contained in the office block and didn’t get into the warehouse behind.

“When I arrived there was a lot of black smoke – you could see it from the M271 in Southampton.

“We didn’t have to go into the building – all the firefighting was done from outside. The crews worked really hard, especially as the local hydrants weren’t brilliant.”

Police and fire officials have launched a joint investigation into the cause of the blaze.

As reported in the Daily Echo, buildings on the industrial estate are due to be torn down and replaced by housing.

An application to build 75 homes on the site was rejected in 2008 and two applications for 50 properties were refused the following year.

Planning permission for a 48-home development was granted in 2010 and renewed in 2013 but work has yet to start.