A BURNLEY fire officer today urged owners of empty properties in the town to ensure they are secure before someone is killed.

Station officer Paul Harvey issued the plea after a series of arson attacks at boarded up and unoccupied homes and industrial premises.

He spoke out after a fire at the former LEC refrigeration building, Bank Hall, at 9pm last night, after someone is believed someone broken into the premises.

Mr Harvey said: "It was generally granulated plastic which was on fire. One of the calls we received suggested there may be chemicals inside so we got an extra appliance out from Nelson and the incident support unit from Accrington but it turned out there weren't any chemicals involved.

"There was no danger to the public nearby from the smoke just damage to the contents of the building.

"We seem to have had a spate of property fires over recent weeks which have turned out to be arson attacks on unoccupied properties in the Burnley area. We want to get the message out to whoever is responsible for the empty buildings that they ensure they are totally secure whether domestic dwellings or industrial properties.

"It's no good just putting a piece of plywood over the window and door. It's not sufficient. Mainly youngsters are getting into the buildings with a view to causing damage and it is dangerous especially in terraced blocks where the fire could spread through the roof and there could be a loss of life.

"Through the children's eyes they are just thinking we will cause a fire and the see the fire brigade arrive and they don't think any further ahead to the consequences like someone could be killed."