United Kingdom - Firefighters had a lucky escape when a gas cylinder exploded as they arrived to tackle an allotment arson attack. Several cylinders were engulfed in flames, while two caravans were totally destroyed at the gardens at the rear of Lime Road, Normanby, Middlesbrough.

And the swift actions of fire crew in damping down two sheds saved livestock from being burned alive.

Trevor Burns, who has an allotment at the site, said: "This is just the latest in a spate of thefts and vandalism attacks. The darker nights seems to bring the worst out of people.

"This time it was only property that was destroyed, but it could have been a lot worse if the sheds that had the animals in had gone up properly."

Three crews attended the blaze just after 10pm on Sunday and were confronted by the flames engulfing the caravans and the sound of exploding gas cylinders.

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesman said: "There were six cylinders involved in the fire, one of which exploded as the crews arrived, and the two caravans were destroyed.

"There was a small fire in one of the sheds that contained livestock and officers used buckets of water to extinguish the flames."

Meanwhile, investigations are continuing following a blaze at a special needs school in Redcar at the weekend.

A small fire broke out in a prefabricated building at Kirkleatham Hall School, at around 7am, on Sunday.

The rapid response of fire crews prevented the blaze from completely destroying the unit, which is next to the main school building.

Mary White, business manager at the school, said: "We feel very fortunate that the fire did not take hold properly, otherwise the building would have been destroyed.

"We are unsure about the cost of the fire, but some equipment, including computers, has been smoke damaged.

"It has affected our 24 further education students who were told not to come into school. Hopefully, by tomorrow, we will be able to accommodate them in the main body of the school while some will be catered for at other sites."

A Cleveland Police spokeswoman confirmed investigations were continuing into the cause of both fires.

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Written by Graeme Hetherington