ARSONISTS have targeted a disused kitchen factory for the second time in eight months.

Firefighters were called at 6.25pm on Sunday to the former Bernstein Group unit on Wingates Industrial Estate in Westhoughton.

A large blaze had broken out in a single-storey office block and was in danger of spreading to the main factory.

Flames were billowing into the sky and the intensity of the fire made the building unstable.

Firefighters from Horwich, Hindley and Bolton Central fire stations tackled the blaze.

Crew commander Simon Ball, from Horwich fire station, said: “It was quite a big fire and was wellestablished when we arrived.

“It was breaking into the main warehouse and we had to stop that happening.

“The building was unstable, so we fought the fire from outside. We couldn’t go inside the building because it was so dangerous.”

The crews spent an hour and a half bringing the fire under control and remained at the site during the night to continue damping down.

The office block was badly damaged, but the flames did not spread to the factory.

An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the fire.

It is believed to have been started deliberately by someone who had forced their way into the building.

Buildings on the site were made secure yesterday to prevent any further incidents.

The site was previously targeted by arsonists in May last year, when eight fire engines were called to put out a huge blaze.

Large parts of one of the buildings there had to be demolished because the severe heat damage had made them unsafe.

The site has not been used since Bernstein’s went into administration in 2008 with debts of £8.6 million, leaving 250 people out of work.