AN investigation is under way after a wine bar is believed to have been deliberately set on fire in the early hours of this morning.

Fire fighters from Whitefield attended the blaze at Alt House in Moss Lane at 1am.

The front door of the bar had been broken into and the ground floor interior set alight.

Crews used breathing apparatus to enter the building and put out the fire.

Watch Manager Patrick Walsh said: “It was a potentially serious fire but as the bar is relatively near the fire station we got there pretty quickly and before the fire had time to spread.

“We quickly got it under control but if it had been left any longer it could have caused a lot of damage to the building.

“The bar was shut at the time and the fire was discovered by a passerby.”

Fire crews were on the scene for an hour and a half.

Police and the fire service are currently investigating the cause of the fire.