A DERELICT mill in Burnley was torched last night.

Fire chiefs have warned that lives are being put at risk after the arson attack on the former Livingstone Mill in Cameron Street, Daneshouse, Burnley.

The number of deliberate fires at buildings in Burnley has falled from 87 to 81, from 2008-09 to 2009-10, but this was far below the county average of 25 per cent.

The Daneshouse fire follows an incident at the former Joshua Hoyle Fabrics factory in Booth Road, Waterfoot, last weekend, which destroyed a whole section of the deserted building.

Fire brigade spokesman John Taylor said: “Firefighters are trained and equipped to safely deal with these incidents – but there are still risks connected with a collapsing roof or floor which could lead to serious injury or death.”

In the latest Burnley fire, crew manager Mark Hammond said that youngsters were seen sneaking in to the building, but were not seen coming out.

Mr Hammond said: “When we got the call we were told that there could be children trapped inside.

“It was very dangerous because we had to force entry to the building, which is in a poor condition. It was a totally needless fire and we were lucky that no-one was hurt.”

He said a search of the large three-storey building found no-one inside. The fire was con-fined to a ground-floor area.

Mr Hammond said: “The building had been partially demolished already and the interior was not a safe place to go.

“Arson attacks like this are dangerous for the people who start them and for us to respond to, not to mention a waste of resources.”

In May 2009 Bacup firefighter Chris Farrow broke a bone in his back while tackling a blaze at the abandoned Albert Mill in Market Street, Whitworth.

Rubbish had been set alight and he fell through a floor at the dilapidated mill.