ARSONISTS started a fire near to a popular nightclub, destroying the contents of a storage building.

The blaze in Victoria Street, Blackburn, near Jazzy Keks nightclub, started at 4.30am.

Fire crews said the fire was so intense that it caused smoke logging to several nearby buildings, including the nightclub.

Acting crew manager Liam Wilson said furniture that was being stored in the outhouse building was destroyed after lit materials were thrown through a broken window of the property.