Pony dies in suspected arson at stables in Stockport
A pony died when arsonists are thought to have started a fire which destroyed a row of stables in Stockport in the early hours of the morning.
Police are treating the fire, which broke out at a farm in Marple, as a potentially deliberate attack.
The pony, Reuben, belonged to a little girl who had been saving for months to buy him a new saddle, according to stable owner Kerry Pardon.
Kerry has four other horses here but all her equipment has been destroyed. Firefighters from Marple, Offerton and Stockport were scrambled to Winnington Road at 1.25am on Tuesday.
When crews arrived on the scene, the flames had taken hold of several buildings and two gas cylinders were believed to be at risk of exploding in the heat.
The emergency teams used jets to cool the canisters down and safely remove them.
The crews spent three hours bringing the flames under control, but due to the severity of the blaze, the stables and outbuildings were completely destroyed and the roofs collapsed.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman confirmed that officers were called to the scene at around 2am on Tuesday morning and discovered that a pony had died in the fire.
They added that someone was seen leaving the stables at around 1.30am and the incident is being treated as a potential arson attack.
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed but police and the fire service have launched a joint probe.
The incident comes just weeks after two horses had a remarkable escape after the Rochdale stables they were locked in were burned to the ground by suspected arsonists.
It is thought vandals struck at the stables in Roch Valley Way in the early hours of June 12.
The block of four stables, made from wood and corrugated metal, was completely destroyed.
It was the second time a fire has broken out at the yard.
Owner Roy Winterburn said he left the two horses locked inside the building the previous evening and when he returned the following morning found the animals had escaped from the blaze and were uninjured.