A DISUSED mill which could have been the scene of massive explosions after children set it on fire was today being made safe.

The first floor of the mill in Aqueduct Street, Blackburn, was torched on Tuesday night.

Firefighters discovered that the four-storey building contained thousands of tonnes of timber waste and dozens of discarded gas cylinders.

Had the contents of the mill caught fire, the crews believe there would have been a serious risk of an explosion.

Assistant divisional officer Peter Ashworth, who is in charge of fire safety at Blackburn Fire Station, said officers had visited the mill with representatives of the owner, environmental health and building control departments.

"They are boarding up all the entrances to the premises so that people can't get in and are making it safe," he said.

"They will take out all the cylinders, wood and flammable paints."

A council spokeswoman said: "The owner has agreed to measures to make the building secure and to remove the cylinders for safety reasons."

"We understand the cylinders were left behind by a previous tenant who who operated a furniture manufacturing business."

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