Ten cars destroyed in suspected arson attack on Milburn Street, Crook

The woman and her family had to flee after cars were torched in the early hours of this morning on Milburn Street in Crook.

She and husband were in bed when the alarm was raised by screams from a neighbour shortly after midnight.

Read more: Stanley men on mission for family after losing 18 members in earthquake

Firefighters at the scene on Milburn Street in Crook (Image: Contributor)

The damage has been extensive (Image: Contributor)

Six cars have been destroyed (Image: Contributor)

The couple got their son's, aged 18 and ten, from their rooms to safety at the back of their house.

The woman said: “I heard the neighbour screaming my name my name and looked out of the window then ran into the kids’ rooms.

“I got them out. We got to the back door and that is when we heard the ‘bang’, when they must have blown up.

“We got outside but my little son did not have shoes or anything. We were running down the back street because we did not know if the house has caught fire.” 

Homes have also been damaged by the fires (Image: Contributor)

Householders are having to board up windows and contact insurance companies (Image: Contributor)

The woman said their VW T-Roc and Ford Fiesta were destroyed along with several other cars including two Ford Focus’s and a Mercedes.

She said the cars exploded with the blast shattering the windows and damaging the several properties on the row of houses.

She said: “There was six cars in our street and the properties have all been damaged where the cars have blew up and smashed all of the windows. It looks like a warzone.”

“It could have been a lot more serious, but it is horrendous, really bad.

“Our bay window is totally gone and the plastic is gone."

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Milton Street in Crook (Image: Contributor)

Just charred wreckage remains (Image: Contributor)

The explosions blasted glass from windows (Image: Contributor)

The woman said video footage before the fires shows someone lying underneath one of the cars on the street.

The community is keen to find those responsbile with one man offering a £1,000 reward for information.

This morning, Sunday, residents are assessing the damage and boarding up windows while making arrangements to have the charred remains of the ruined vehicles removed.

The woman said: “We are all over the place at the minute trying to sort insurance out and will have to find money to sort it all out with the excess and everything.”