INVESTIGATORS have confirmed that they are treating a fire that gutted the ground floor of a probation office as suspicious.

Officers from Durham Constabulary and County Durham and Darlington Fire And Rescue Service have launched a joint investigation into the blaze at the probation service’s office in Bishop Auckland on Saturday night.

An intruder alarm was activated at the three-storey office building on Kensington terrace at 8.10pm.

Police arrived minutes later and contacted the fire brigade after seeing flames in one of the building’s bay windows.

They then called firefighters to deal with the blaze.

A police spokesman said the cause was still being investigated but early indications are that it may have been malicious.

The fire is believed to have started in two places, at the front and back of the building, and engulfed the ground floor.

Two appliances from Bishop Auckland fire station attended and two firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus entered the building to extinguish the blaze.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said firefighters spent an hour putting out the flames and ensuring the building was safe.

Anyone with information on the blaze can report it to Durham Constabulary on 0345-60-60-365.