A luxury car hire tycoon who lost a prized collection of elite vehicles worth £740,000 in an arson attack has offered a £20,000 reward to help catch the culprit.
A £330,000 orange Lamborhgini Aventador, a Rolls Royce Phantom and a Bentley were among the cars mangled in the blaze on Friday at VIP House in Digbeth, Birmingham.
It's left the devastated owner of VIP Limousines, Zafron Hussain, unsure of the future for his 15-year-old company, which hires out luxury cars for events such as weddings and proms.
Today, Mr Hussain, offered £20,000 to anyone with information that could help lead to the arrest of the arsonists.
The two top-of-the-range luxury vehicles were engulfed in flames and destroyed after the blaze took hold at the car premises in Digbeth, Birmingham, in the early hours of this morning (pictured: the burnt out Rolls-Royce)
Police said they are launching an investigation into the suspected arson (pictured: the burnt out Lamborghini
He said: 'I have no idea who has done this as we're a successful business and get on with everyone.
'I don't know if we were deliberately targeted or if it was yobs messing around.
'We cannot operate from these premises because of the damage and it will take months for the insurance claim to be sorted out.
'I don't know what we're going to do about operating the business.
Roads were closed as eight fire crews battled the inferno at the 150 square metre one-storey building in the early hours of Friday morning.
More than 40 firefighters, 18 wearing breathing apparatus, used three hose reel jets and foam to bring the blaze under control.
The completely destroyed interior of the Lamborghini Aventador which was ruined in the fire
Fire crews tweeted that they were unable to save a £330,000 Lamborghini Aventador a £150,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom and a £260,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost.
Another senior employee, Hassim Amrid, said it 'was not a pleasant sight' when he arrived at the premises as firefighters tackled the blaze.
He added: 'The Lamborghini, which was carbon fibre and valued at £330,000, was totally melted.
'The Ghost, £260,000 and the Phantom, £150,000, were melted too.'
Shocking pictures taken inside the car storage unit show the burnt out remains of the top-of-the-range cars which have been completely ruined by the fire.
A Hummer caught in the fire which was able to drive away with just smoke damage to the exterior
More than 40 firefighters used 18 breathing apparatus, three hose reel jets and foam to put the fire out
The Lamborghini is almost entirely black apart from a small part of the front right-hand side where its original paintwork is still visible.
The silver Rolls-Royce, which is parked next to the Italian sports car, is also badly damaged with its silver paint blackened by smoke.
The blaze was brought under control by 4am but fire investigation teams remained at the scene until 11am to assist police with their inquiries.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: 'The fire is being treated as arson and an investigation has begun.'
More than 40 firefighters used three hose reel jets and foam to bring the blaze under control this morning
A West Midlands Fire Service spokesperson added: 'We were called at 12.31am at Heath Mill Lane.
'At the height of the blaze we had 18 firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackling the fire inside the commercial building.
'There were eight fire engines at the scene and they successfully stopped the fire spreading to other buildings.
'By 4am the incident had been scaled back with two engines at the scene.'
West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, which posted the images on social media, said a joint fire and police investigation was now under way after the blaze.
Posting pictures of the badly damaged cars on Twitter, crews from the city's Highgate station said: 'Good stop. Couldn't save the £330,000 Lamborghini or the Rolls though!'.
There were no reports of any injuries
West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service said a joint fire and police investigation is now under way
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