Crews from Binley and Coventry tackled the blaze for up to three hours
Coventry’s night sky was lit up last night by a ferocious inferno which is being treated as suspected arson.
Fire crews were called to a blaze which started in an alleyway behind the London EV Company (LEVC) – formerly the London Taxi Company - on Holyhead Road around 8pm last night.
The fire quickly spread to the 10m fence situated between the factory and a housing estate.
Only remnants remain of a section of the fence, which acts as a sound barrier for residents in the housing estate from the noise at the factory.
The fire is being treated as suspected arson.
Coventry Fire Station’s Watch Commander Ry Forrester told the Telegraph this morning that the fire started in an alleyway between the LTI factory and the housing estate behind it.
He said: “We got there just minutes after the first crew arrived.
“It started in an alleyway between the housing estate and the LTI factory.
“We arrived just minutes after the first crew got there, and it was a huge fence which was alight.
“Behind the factory is a public alleyway, and the fire started there, spreading to the fence.
“We are treating it as arson.”
The heat from the blaze was so strong that it melted part of the factory roof.
There has been no real damage, but cracks did start to form and some debris fell into the factory.
Watch Commander Forrester added: “It affected the roof of the factory a little bit.
“There has been no real damage but it melted a little bit due to the heat and cracks formed, falling down into the factory.
“But it should all be fully functional.
“The alleyway is a restricted area this morning because of metal beams to do with the fence that are hanging.
“If it gets windy they could cause serious injury.
“It is being treated as a hazardous area as it could become dangerous.”
Pictures taken this morning show the damage done by the fire.
A 15-20 metre gap is now in the fence which acted as a sound barrier.
It has been completely destroyed by the fire, with piles of debris and rubble surrounding the site of the fire.
I hears fireworks in that area around that time and wondered what the hell the celebration was?
