Teens who started major fire jailed

Two men who set fire to a disused building in Cheshire, forcing hundreds of people from their homes, have each been jailed for more than four years.

The blaze at a former print works on Catherine Street in Crewe on 9 August was declared a major incident by the fire service.

James Evans, 19, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court to 56 months in prison for arson.

Justin Keeling, formerly Evans, 18, was sentenced to 52 months for arson and a further 34 weeks for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Evans, of Welles Street, Sandbach, and Keeling, of Catherine Street in Crewe, went into the derelict industrial premises and set fire to a large pile of cardboard, Cheshire Police said.

Firefighters were at the scene for several days, and more than 350 people were affected - with some nearby houses also damaged by the fire.

Despite being one of the two men who caused the fire, Keeling spoke to the BBC in an interview after the blaze, in which he said he had been left "devastated" and "shocked" by what had happened.

Keeling told police he saw the fire when he was walking back to Catherine Street with Evans and claimed he had seen some youths near the building, climbing over a gate.

The 18-year-old later admitted to a friend that he was inside the building, and police uncovered video footage on his phone showing a large amount of cardboard being set alight.

He later admitted perverting the course of justice for lying to police about the fake sighting of the youths, the force said.

Det Sgt Ryan Ogden from Cheshire Police said: "The devastation caused to the community and the sheer scale of the emergency response and council clean-up afterwards was huge and very labour-intensive."

Residents were still affected by the fire, as were some officers who attended the incident, he said.

"I welcome the sentence that has been handed to them and hope that they begin to realise the enormity of their actions that day."

Assistant chief fire officer Steve Barnes said the fire caused significant damage, disruption, and distress, and placed "enormous pressure" on resources.

"This deliberate fire in Crewe put lives at risk, not only those of our firefighters but also the residents who were forced to leave their homes," he said.

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