ISLAND police have launched a probe after an empty stable block was destroyed in a raging blaze at Bullen Cross in Ryde just after 12am this morning (Friday July 30).

Bullen Road was closed at the junction of Great Preston Road by police.

Four pumping appliances and 15 fire fighters from Ryde and Newport attended the incident after a homeowner raised the alarm when smoke started billowing in through an open window.

Fire crews attempted to save the 90 by 30ft single-storey block but it was engulfed in flames.

A number of unidentified cylinders were discovered but evacuation was not needed in the rural location as four hose-jets were directed on the flames from a dwindling water supply.

A concerned horse owner was assisted by fire fighters in checking on two horses that were loose in a field near to the raging flames.

IW Fire service duty officer Jeff Walls said the cause would be investigated and they are working with police to see if the fire is suspicious. He went on to praise crews for quickly gaining control and stopping the spread of the blaze to nearby hedges and a house.