DETECTIVES waiting to question a man taken to hospital after an explosion ripped through a mill complex have also arrested a woman, it was revealed today.

The man, who has not been named, was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary on Monday night suffering from burns to his hands and face after the blaze which destroyed part of Gillibrand's Mill in Hollins Grove Street, Darwen.

He was today in the intensive care unit recovering from his injuries.

The 29-year-old woman was released on police bail after being interviewed by detectives and was ordered to reappear at Blackburn police station in March.

Police spent yesterday examining forensic evidence from the scene of the fire, which is being treated as a suspected arson.

Fire crews from Darwen, Blackburn and Accrington tackled the blaze in the administration block at the mill which gutted six offices after the blast at about 9.20pm.

The two-storey admin block involved in the fire was next to several industrial units which were not affected.

Det Inspector Mark Gray, of Blackburn CID, said that because of the unsafe building, searching for evidence could be a laborious process.

He added: "We have been sifting through the building along with colleagues from the fire service in a bid to establish the cause."