TWO teenagers put themselves and firefighters in danger when they started a fire in an empty house in Burnley.

Neighbours reported seeing the girls, aged about 13 or 14, going into the boarded-up house.

Fire crews arrived in Hurtley Street at 7.10pm to find several houses full of smoke.

Sub-officer Steve Roberts said: "Because they are boarded up there is little light in the properties anyway.

"When there is smoke as well it would be so easy to become disorientated and then trapped.

"These girls put themselves in danger and caused a danger to other people as well including the firefighters.''

The smoke went into the roof voids and spread along the terrace.

Burnley firefighters had 13 calls in a few hours overnight. Three calls were to grass fires and others to rubbish fires.

In one incident a caravan at the rear of St Mary's Church, Todmorden Road, was destroyed after rubbish was pushed underneath it and set alight.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.