A fire that caused damage to a large tree in a Bucks car park is not being treated as suspicious according to fire services.

A large tree in Pound Lane car park in Marlow caught fire on the evening of Thursday, August 17, prompting Buckinghamshire Council to close part of the car park and adjoining road for safety purposes. 

The closures are expected to remain in place while remediation works are carried out.

The council has not confirmed the cause of the fire but in a statement issued last week, Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport implied it had been the consequence of "anti-social behaviour".

A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue told the Free Press, however, that the fire had not been referred to Thames Valley Police as suspected arson but had instead been logged as accidental. 

In response to a query about speculation of arson, the spokesperson said: "Although arson is a fire-related term, it is primarily a crime and would therefore be investigated and recorded by the local police force.

"Having checked our incident log, this incident does not appear to have been referred to Thames Valley Police as a suspected arson, it has been logged as accidental."

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Mr Broadbent said the council was "in discussions" with the fire service to determine the cause of the fire.

He also confirmed that assessments had been carried out by tree specialists contracted by Buckinghamshire Council to ascertain the extent of the damage to the large tree. 

Adding: "Following the fire last Thursday, we have now received a specialist report on the condition of the tree and are reviewing it to allow us to make an informed decision on what action will be needed.

"In the meantime, safety measures have been put in place as a precaution. A portion of Pound Lane and the Pound Lane car park will remain closed until remediation works can be carried out.

"We appreciate this is an inconvenience to the public and we are working to coordinate and programme the works as soon as possible. However, in the interest of public safety, we anticipate the car park and road will need to remain closed until the works are completed."

One appliance and crew from High Wycombe attended the scene on Thursday night, finding the tree well alight when they arrived. 

The firefighters reportedly used a hose reel, a fog spike, a thermal imaging camera and a short extension ladder to help them tackle the blaze.