An explosion and subsequent fire at a property in Ipswich is being treated as suspicious, it has been revealed.
Suffolk police have launched an investigation after a blaze tore through an unoccupied semi-detached Ipswich home following an explosion on Wednesday night.
No-one was injured at the vacant property on the corner of Hadleigh Road and Allenby Road but smoke damage was caused to a neighbouring building.
The fire inside the unoccupied building was ‘localised’, according to the emergency services.
Phil Geeson, station commander at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We were called to reports of an explosion in the building and arrived to find a well developed fire on the ground floor.
“We subsequently found that the property was not currently in occupancy.
“With a derelict building like this, we have to have a working assumption someone has made entry.”
Firefighters were first called to the building at 10.04pm last night (Wednesday, November 28).
Two crews were sent from Princes Street station and one further crew from Ipswich East station.
Suffolk Constabulary and the East of England Ambulance Service were also called to the scene following reports of a blast at the house.
Police closed the road as fire crews sought to tackle the flames.
Four firefighters would later enter the building, wearing breathing gear, while colleagues used hose reels to tackle the blaze from outside.
By 11.11pm the flames were extinguished and firefighters proceeded to “damp down” and begin an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The road was reopened soon after by police.
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