SMOKE could be seen across Blackburn today after a fire involving 400 used car tyres.

Firefighters from two crews used jets and and five litres of foam to extinguish the blaze in Thornley Avenue in the Whitebirk area of Blackburn at 1pm today.

Thornley Avenue area

The fire was also said to have caused damage to nearby businesses.

Shahid Hussain, owner of Burnley Road MOT Centre, said: “I saw some kids hanging around outside but I didn’t think anything of it.

“A customer came in and told me what was going on and then I came out and saw the fire.

"I am very, very annoyed because it may have damaged my building.”

Practical Van Hire manager Lee Hall said there may be some damage to cars in the back yard from the incident.

Nearby Alan Howard Hair and Beauty was forced to close for about two hours while firefighters dealt with the blaze.

Manager Roger Edmondson said: “We were told to shut because we have got flammable materials inside, so it could be a hazard.

“But we lost business. We had to turn some people away, which is very frustrating.”

Watch manager Caroline Sturgess at Blackburn Fire Station said investigations were still underway but that there was a possibility a small, deliberate fire had spread accidentally.

She said: “Our investigation is not yet complete but there is some suggestion that the tyres themselves were not set alight deliberately.

"In that sense it would be accidental but the source may have been set deliberately."