ARSONISTS are being blamed after 10 vehicles were torched in a scrapyard last night.
Fire crews spent more than two hours battling the blaze at Dave Kelly Car Dismantlers, Legacy, near Rhostyllen, helping bring the fire under control and preventing more vehicles being badly damaged.
Site owner Dave Kelly said a neighbour raised the alarm and he watched on as crews tackled the fire on the three acre scrapyard on Llwyneinion Road.
He said: “I wasn’t here but received a call at 6pm to say there was a fire in the yard and the fire brigade was already there.
“They did a very good job keeping it under control.
“Thankfully it is only 10 cars out of about 600.”
Mr Kelly said there had been trouble in the past with arsonists at the scrapyard, including an incident several years ago when more than 200 vehicles were destroyed.
He told the Leader he was concerned about the potential implications of the fire service having to come and deal with a deliberate fire like this.
“I’m not concerned so much as what’s happened to me as what could have happened to other people because of what the people who have caused this fire have done,” said Mr Kelly.
“They’ve had several fire engines tied up here and that could have caused great disruption if there had been a big fire elsewhere.”
Environment Agency Wales attended the scene along with fire crews.
A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they were called at 6.05pm and were stood down two hours later, although fire service and Environment Agency representatives were still present at the scene almost an hour later.
Paul Scott, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s incident commander, confirmed the fire is being treated as arson and said North Wales Police had been informed about the incident.
“Thankfully the fire was brought under control very quickly,” he said.
“Nobody has been injured and thankfully the fire was confined to this one area.
“When we arrived the fire was well alight.”