Flats and a supermarket in Birmingham caught fire after a car smashed into the building in a suspected arson attack, authorities believe.
Police say the vehicle was “set alight, causing the shop and flats above to catch fire” in the early hours of Monday.
Pictures show a burnt-out 4×4 being extracted from the charred shop in Stratford Road, Sparkhill, by a fire truck as detectives investigate what happened.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Local property developer Isaac Zintaan said residents of his nearby premises told him they heard a “loud explosion” that sounded “like a bomb went off”.
“[When I arrived] everyone was coughing due to the intensity of the smoke,” he added.
He thinks the fire was caused by a car which was set on fire and then rammed into a supermarket.
Read more from Sky News:
King chooses former hospital chapel for Christmas message
UK economy heading for ‘worst of all worlds’, CBI warns
Follow our channel and never miss an update
West Midlands Fire Service said the blaze in the front of a retail store spread to shop signage and windows of the flats above.
On Monday morning, it said the fire was “under control” and no injuries had been reported.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said it was investigating “a suspected arson” and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
