FIRE chiefs have condemned an act of "mindless hooliganism" which could have led to tragedy during the blaze at Wensley House.
When York firefighters answered an earlier call they discovered a gas cylinder had been dumped on a rubbish fire in a field at Byland Avenue, off Huntington Road.
They used a cooling jet before getting the cylinder safely off the fire, then put the blaze out and returned to York Station by 10.35pm.
The call to go to Wensley House was received just 30 minutes later.
North Yorkshire fire and rescue service spokesman Terry Glover said: "Had the gas cylinder exploded this could have delayed the attendance of vital resources needed at Wensley House. "
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