Police in Derry are investigating a fire in the Waterside area this morning which completely destroyed a caravan, and damaged a car parked nearby, a fence and an oil tank.
It’s being treated as arson, with police saying it was a reckless act which could have had a much more serious outcome.
Police say they were on patrol, driving across the Foyle Bridge at around 5.20am this morning, when they spotted a large volume of smoke coming from Strathfoyle.
When they arrived in the area, they located a caravan on fire in Stradowen Drive.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service attended and extinguished the blaze. A small number of homes were evacuated as emergency services dealt with the incident.
There was no-one in the caravan at the time, and there have been no reports of any injuries.
At this time, detectives from Strand Road Criminal Investigation Branch are treating the fire as arson.
In a statement the PSNI praises the swift action of its officers, and for the swift response from the Fire Service in bringing the situation under control. They say given the close proximity to homes in the area, it’s very fortunate that the fire didn’t spread further, and that no one was injured.
