Boys, 16, sentenced after supermarket arson attack
![A front view of Iceland in Warminster under a blue sky, some of a car park to the right and pedestrians to the left. A large Iceland truck is in front.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/789/cpsprodpb/837c/live/9feaa5b0-e7a5-11ef-8593-65a781785cd6.jpg)
The incident happened outside the Iceland supermarket in Warminster
- Published
Two teenage boys have been found guilty of arson after a fire that "reached immense heights" in cages of supermarket goods.
The attack happened outside Iceland in Warminster, Wiltshire, on the evening of 2 June 2024, with police saying the fire "could easily have gone out of control".
The teenagers, both 16, were sentenced at Salisbury Youth Court - one given a 10-month referral order, the other a nine-month referral order.
"It is a miracle that the fire didn't spread further into the building" said PC Lauren Fairley, from Wiltshire Police.
"This was a serious offence that could have easily gone out of control. The fire reached immense heights and was left to completely engulf a six-foot cage."
![Tall metal cages on wheels usually used to take products around a supermarket with charred remains of boxes and ash around them.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/859/cpsprodpb/604c/live/25526940-e7a6-11ef-8593-65a781785cd6.png)
The flames "engulfed" the supermarket's six-foot cages
"If someone had not spotted the fire and called the fire service I believe this could have had a different ending," she added.
Police said Warminster Town Council's CCTV footage was "crucial" in court.
The referral orders included the boys agreeing to a contract which includes rehabilitation sessions.
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