A POLICE investigation is underway following a blaze at a stable complex in Seale during the early hours of Saturday morning. The fire, which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage, was alleged to have been deliberately started at Ipsley Lodge Stables at around 12-20 am. With quick-thinking residents of neighbouring Ipsley Lodge hearing noises just after midnight, the reactions of Sheila and Peter West prevented further damage to property and horses. "We heard noises at 12-10 am," remarked Mrs West. "It was a very odd noise - it sounded like a horse in distress, and there was also banging and a dog barking. That went on for a while," she added. "It then went quiet for about 10 minutes and the noise started up again. I looked out of the window, and as we live on the top floor, we had a good view. There was no sign of people down there, but after a few minutes, we could see flames," continued Mr West. After calling the police, Mr West investigated the situation a little more closely. "I hopped out of bed knowing there were horses down there, so I took a torch with me and climbed over the fence. There were 20- feet-high flames," he said. "I checked the stables and there were fires lit in three of them. Two had fires at the back, while another was at the front in a feed bucket. "I then checked that the stables were empty. I found a horse in one, cowering in the corner, so I let it out and took it to the paddock. "I came back to see if there was any way of putting the smaller fires out. I found a hosepipe and hosed the fires down. I put the smaller fires out, but there was no point even trying on the big fire," he added. "I had three goes at it, but with a tiny garden hosepipe I wasn't willing to walk into the stable. The fire was well set in at the fascia board at the back. "There was another horse stuck in between two stables and I had to back her off and put her in the paddock with the other horse." With the fire service on its way, Bryn Strudwick, station manager at Haslemere fire station, continued the tale. "I was covering Farnham that night and was called out. We mobilised at half past twelve, with four appliances coming from Farnham, Rushmoor, Camberley and Guildford, with a Land Rover coming from Haslemere," he said. However, access to the premises was a little more complicated, as a large concrete slab blocked the driveway, preventing the entry of the fire engines. "They desperately turned the engines round and tried to get in though the back, but ended up with two fire engines stuck in the mud," said Mr West. "Eventually, they managed to run a hose from the fire engine at the front and put the big fire out. It sounds comical, but you couldn't fault their urgency and efforts to fight the fire," he added. "When we examined the stable block there were three seats of the fire." continued Mr Strudwick. "We used one jet to fight the blaze, and we were able to save the majority of the stable block, preventing it from spreading to the other stables." "Following a fire investigation, we used sniffer dogs to detect accelerants. They positively identified three locations where they were used. "I was up there until half past 10 the next morning. The neighbours did extremely well and they managed to rescue two of the horses," he added. "The fire brigade were excellent," added Mrs West. "They were very keen to get to the fire and were quick to put it out." However, the Wests were not as happy with the reactions of the police. "They haven't even interviewed me," he divulged. Both the RSPCA and a vet attended the site due to the injury to a horse during its attempt to escape the stables, suffering cuts to its neck and legs. With a similar incident occurring elsewhere on the Ipsley Lodge estate on January 12, police are treating this incident as suspicious. Should anyone have any information of anything peculiar happening in the area around the midnight mark, they are urged to call Det sgt Adrian Remnant on 0845 1252222, or call Crimestoppers anonymously and free of charge on 0800 555111.
