ARSON has not been ruled out as a possible cause of a major fire at the weekend.
Smoke from a blaze in a firstfloor storeroom above the en.r.g novelty shop affected five other stores and a pub in Middlesbrough's Captain Cook Square, writing off thousands of pounds worth of stock.
Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from the precinct. The fire is still under investigation.
Firefighters found that the extra stock being carried by shops for a late Christmas rush added fuel to Sunday's mystery blaze.
A spokeswoman for the Arson Reduction Team at Cleveland Police and Cleveland Fire Brigade said yesterday: "At this time the cause is uncertain, because the extent of the damage makes it difficult to tell.
"We have ruled out certain aspects, such as gas or electricity fault. We do know the storeroom was the seat of the fire.
"We do not have enough evidence, yet, to determine the cause of the fire at this stage. Our inquiries are ongoing."
About 35 firefighters were called to the incident, and 14 of them fought the blaze wearing breathing apparatus.
Crews were at the scene for nearly four hours.
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