Rotherham family burned out of home after arson attack spreads to house

Firefighters revealed that the summer house on Sykes Court, Swinton, was deliberately set alight at around 4.20am this morning before the blaze spread into the roof space of the main property.

Crews from Dearne and Rotherham fire stations put out the flames, preventing the fire from spreading beyond the roof space, but the damage was so severe that the family living in the property have had to move out.

A fire service spokesman said: “The fire crews had to remove part of the roof to get at the flames, tackling the fire from above using an aerial platform and hose reels.

“A woman in her 40s, a teenage boy and their dog were evacuated from the property and given support by volunteers from the Fire Victim Support Unit.

“Residents in neighbouring properties were also evacuated, but were later able to return to their homes.”

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