Youths sought for arson after fire spread to house

Police are seeking a group of young people suspected of deliberately starting a fire in Sheffield.

An arson investigation has been launched after a patch of grass was lit on fire on Harthill Road, in the Woodthorpe area of the city, at about 13:50 BST on Wednesday.

Two houses were damaged, one of them "severely", according to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFRS).

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said officers had attended and "supported the fire service with evacuating nearby properties".

A spokesperson for the service said: "Our thoughts are with the residents whose homes have been so badly damaged in this way."

They said it had been an "exceptionally busy period" with several other recent suspected arsons.

Fire crews were called to a second deliberate fire on Musgrave Road, close to the former Sheffield Ski Village at about 18:15.

They worked overnight to tackle a large fire at a house on the same road last week.

There have been a number of call-outs to Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust sites over suspected deliberate fires.

Crews spent several hours tackling a large fire in a cornfield in Nether Haugh, Rotherham, on Sunday.

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