Police treat gas cylinder cage fire as arson

An incident where a cage storing gas cylinders was set alight in the early hours of Tuesday is being treated as arson, police in Londonderry have said.

The fire in an alleyway at Lecky Road was reported to emergency services shortly before 02:10 BST.

Police the a metal cage was deliberately set on fire - one of the cylinders is believed to have partially exploded.

The fire spread to a storeroom at the back of a nearby property, forcing a resident of a flat to flee for their safety after being alerted by neighbours.

Det Sgt McAdoo described it as a reckless act given the number of homes in the immediate area.

Police appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Sinn Féin councillor Patricia Logue said it was "a very terrifying incident" which could have caused serious injury or loss of life.

"It is appalling to learn that this was started deliberately and I want to thank the emergency services for stopping the fire from spreading any further," she said.

It is also understood that the damage was caused to other premises, including a local shop.

She appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.