Arsonist hunted after firework attack

AN ARSONIST is being hunted today after an Ipswich business nearly went up in flames.

Serious fire at AJ Cook Builders was only averted thanks to a solitary coffee cup.

The cup had taken the blast from a firework, which had been put through the letterbox of the Foxhall Road building company, and somehow miraculously contained the flames in the mug.

Police are treating the incident as arson and are appealing for witnesses to the event which happened at around 3.30am.

A resident who lives above the office heard the firework explode and immediately called the fire brigade.

Tony Cook, the owner of AJ Cook Builders, said: "The firework had been put through the letterbox and was darting all over the place according to the man who lives upstairs.

"Fortunately the firefighters were here very quickly and saved my business from going up in flames.

"Another five minutes and the whole place would have gone up.

"Business will be continuing as normal today and trading has not been affected. All I lost was bit of sleep."

The fire service was called to the building just after 3.30am.

Two appliances, one from Princes Street and one from Colchester Road attended and firefighters took 26 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Assistant Divisional Officer David Atkinson, based at Colchester Road, said: "It was lucky that the occupants in the flat upstairs heard the firework go off and raised the alarm and notified the owner.

"On our arrival we were presented with a small fire which was quickly dealt with professionally.

"The ball of fire from the firework fortunately ended in or adjacent to the coffee cup which prevented amore serious fire."

A police spokeswoman said: "We are treating the fire as arson."

Police would like to hear from anybody who in the Foxhall Road area of Ipswich around the time of the incident or who saw anybody acting suspiciously to contact Pc Karl Nightingale at Ipswich police on 01473 613500.