FIREFIGHTERS from Accrington were called to a garage blaze in Blackburn in the early hours of this morning - because crews there were at a suspicious house fire several miles away.

Two teams of firefighters from Hyndburn tackled the fire, off Ballantrae Road, at around 1.30am.

They attended because firefighters from Blackburn were busy in Livingstone Road, three and a half miles away near Buncer Wood, dampening flames at an empty house.

A Volkswagen Transporter van was destroyed, while the detached garage was badly damaged.

The cause was likely to be an electrical fault, it is believed.

Regarding the house fire in Livingstone Road, a spokesman for the Lancashire Fire And Rescue Service said: "Two crews from Blackburn and one from Darwen dealt with the fire swiftly and prevented further damage to the property or neighbouring properties."

The flames took hold near the plastic front door, which melted due to the fire's ferocity, although an investigation into the cause has yet to be concluded, the spokesman said.

Crews were on the scene from 1am until around 2.30am, he added.