Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned that there is a "very real danger" that lives could be lost as a result of arson attacks on a Telford housing estate.
The stark warning follows a recent string of incidents in which cars have been deliberately set ablaze on the Woodside estate.
Eight cars have been involved in arson attacks in the Woodside area in the last three weeks and in the most recent incident a fire started deliberately in one car spread to two other cars and a van parked nearby.
This incident has triggered a strongly worded warning from arson investigators at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
"This deliberately started fire quickly spread to other vehicles and could easily have spread to nearby houses," said Derek Taylor, a Fire Crime Officer with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
"This incident and the other similar attacks in Woodside are all occurring in the early hours when most people are asleep in bed and at their most vulnerable should a fire spread to their home," he added.
The same arsonist are suspected of being behind a series of fires in wheelie bins on the Woodside estate in recent weeks. The latest such incident occurred in Wildwood, Woodside, on Wednesday (April 6) when a fire deliberately started in a wheelie bin spread to nearby wooden fencing.
Firefighters from Tweedale fire station have put arson warning signs on lamp-posts throughout the Woodside estate and the fire service and West Mercia Police have jointly appealed for information that might identify the culprits.
Anyone with information is asked to ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Ends
