FIRE MAY HAVE BEEN ARSON

The Northern Echo (Newsquest Regional Press)
May 5, 2010 Wednesday
UK

A FIRE at a car yard is being treated by investigators as suspicious.

The blaze at Ara and Friends Car Dismantlers, on the Dean and Chapter
Industrial Estate, in Ferryhill, started at around 10.40pm last night.

Workers at the nearby Balfour Beatty plant spotted the fire on security
cameras and called the emergency services.

Two fire and rescue crews from Newton Aycliffe and one from Spennymoor
attended the incident and had to cut down fencing to access the site,
a storage compound next to the main office and workshop.

Proprietor Ara Stepanyan said the monetary loss to his car breakage
and recycling firm is unlikely to be significant.

But he said the incident has upset him because it may have been
started maliciously.

He said: "I strip the cars down and sell a few parts but most of the
scrap value will still be there in the metal.

"But it is disheartening."

Mr Stepanyan had an accidental fire in his main unit around four
years ago but to suspect his property was damaged deliberately is
confusing and upsetting, he said.

He added: "It could have been costly or dangerous if it spread or
someone was hurt."

Mr Stepanyan, who is of Armenian origin, moved from London to the
region in 2005 and lives near Bishop Auckland with his wife and
two children.

He hopes the suspected arson attack was not racially aggravated but
admits the thought did cross his mind.

He said: "I hope it was just kids messing about for some reason and
not someone with heathen thoughts, that thought is the worst thing."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress