Rats cause Blaze

Rats are believed to have caused a massive blaze that destroyed three coaches and three minibuses at the coach company headquarters of Barfoot & Sons. Hants.
Nearby residents saw flames reach 40ft high and heard explosions as the fire spread from one vehicle to the next.
Fire investigators concluded the most likely cause of the fire at an operations centre in Hedge End, near Southampton, Hants, was a spark from an electrical fault caused by rats chewing through wires.

A fire service spokesman said: 'For rodents to have chewed through things and caused this much devastation is pretty unlucky.'
Firefighters were called to the blaze, which involved vehicles belonging to Southampton-based coach hire company Barfoot and Sons, at 5.45pm on Saturday.

Firefighters spent four hours tacking the fire and investigators concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.
The six destroyed vehicles make up more than half of the company's 11-strong fleet.
Steve Barfoot, director of the small family coach and minibus hire firm, said: 'If it's down to rodents, it is frustrating such a small animal caused so much damage and devastation.'

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10132708.Counting_the_cost_after_devastating_coach_fire/
Link from Paul Beardsley