Thirty people were evacuted from Liverpool's Harold House on Monday evening as a fire raged at the rear of the community centre building.

Centre manager Stephen Simpson was in his office when the alarm was raised. "I cleared the building and then ran with fire extinguishers to the back door. We tried to put it out but were beaten back by the flames. The fire brigade were called and attended within minutes."

The fire officers quickly put out the blaze. They found that it had been caused by setting cushions alight and piling them up by the back door. Youths are believed to have been responsible.