Twenty-three firefighters were called to a blaze at a scrapyard in East Oxford during the early hours today.

The fire broke out at the yard in Jackdaw Lane, off Iffley Road, and crews from Slade Park, Rewley Road and Kidlington attended at about 4am, with four fire engines.

Station manager Simon Belcher said: “The fire was well developed by the time the crews arrived and they did a fantastic job gaining entry and putting out the fire before it had spread to the whole building and to cylinders that were in the area.”

Fire investigators from Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Fire Service are carrying out a detailed search to try to determine the cause of the fire, which is currently unknown.

Crews are expected to be at the scene until at least lunchtime to help with the fire investigation.