Pictures from the fire service’s drone show the scale of the fire they faced in Deepdale on Friday night.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service had 90 firefighters battling the blaze at the Preston Motor Village site at its peak.

Homes in Kent Street and St George’s Road were evacuated as firefighters spent four hours bringing the flames under control in Frank Street.

Investigation work is continuing on the cause of the fire, with area manager Ben Norman saying arson had not been ruled out.

Preston Police have now launched an arson investigation.

Drone operator Chris Rainford shared the aerial pictures of the flames leaping into the night’s sky.

With a nod to the Gatwick Airport drone chaos he tweeted: “A very busy week for the LFRS Drone ended with a major blaze in Preston last night.

“It’s not been a great week for positive drone news, let’s not forget the massive positive impact they can have in the right hands.”

The fire service used three aerial platforms as they contained the fire by 1am, and four fire crews have remained on the scene in Southgate during Saturday (22 December).

Read more: Watch as flames leap into the night’s sky during Preston Motor Village fire