Police Appeal After Rochford Fire

21 October 2011, 12:11 | Updated: 21 October 2011, 12:13

Essex Police are continuing to appeal for information about a "suspicious'' fire which caused £125,000 of damage.

The blaze in Rochford at around 10.40pm on October 1st damaged several buildings, according to the force.

Officers were called to the fire in a container holding a large amount of fireworks on Purdeys Industrial Estate in Purdeys Way.

Officers evacuated residents from the area, closed a number of roads and put a 400m exclusion zone in place as they dealt with the incident.

Police have said that the fire is being treated as suspicious and believe it may have been started during an attempted burglary.

Pc James Stewart, who is investigating the fire, said: "This attempted burglary put the lives of residents, workers, fire and police officers at stake.

"We would like to appeal to the general public for any information with regards to the people involved to be passed onto us. Did you see or hear anything suspicious in that area that night?

"Any piece of information, no matter how small, will be gratefully received.''

Pc Stewart can be contacted at Rayleigh police station on 101 or 0300 333 4444 if you are calling from outside Essex. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.