The second major fire in less than a year at a car dealership site in Gunthorpe is being treated as arson. An office building and multiple cars were completely destroyed in the latest fire on the grounds of Lowdham Cars, in Lowdham Road, which broke out just before 3am on Sunday (August 7).
No injuries were reported - and police are treating it as a suspected arson attack. It comes just months after the business was targeted when a separate fire broke out in January.
In that incident earlier this year, a building containing a soon-to-open cafe and gift shop burned down in what again was treated by police as a suspected arson attack. At the time the owners said they had "spent thousands on it and it was just four weeks from opening".
Read more: Unease and 'worry' in Gunthorpe village over second fire in a year at Lowdham Cars
Following the latest incident, police appealed for witnesses to come forward. Detective Constable Chloe Baugh, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We know there were a few people driving along Lowdham Road around the time of this incident and some people stopped when the fire was just getting started.
“We believe there may still be people with crucial information who have not yet come forward to speak to us. I’m urging them to please get in touch with us as they may have vital information which could help us with our ongoing enquiries.
“I can reassure them we will deal with their information sensitively and in the strictest confidence.” Anyone with information should call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, and incident 136 of August 7. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be called anonymously on 0800 555 111. Back in 2017, vandals wielding sledgehammers were captured on CCTV smashing up 60 cars in 10 minutes, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage.
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