A WEMBLEY estate agents is picking up the pieces after a suspected arson attack at one of its offices.

Fire ripped through the office of Grey & Co, in Forty Avenue, at around 1.15am last night, causing considerable smoke damage inside.

Owner Steven Else and his staff arrived for work this morning to find the fire-ravaged office.

He told the Harrow Times: “We turned up this morning for work and found out this had happened.

“Nothing like this have ever happened before, so we didn't really know what to do.”

The floor inside the office is strewn with debris and glass, and the walls and ceiling have all been seared by the fire.

Police are treating the fire as suspected arson, and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Paul Lovell, 45, who lives above the estate agents, was woken by banging and rumbling noises, and when he looked out of the window saw smoke billowing out into the street.

He ran out of his flat and moved his van so firefighters could tackle the fire, which was threatening to spread to the back of the building.

Fire crews from Wembley had the blaze under control at around 1.45am, and are working with police to determine how the office was set alight.

One firefighter climbed through into the flat below Mr Lovell's as the fire burned, but no one was inside at the time.

Mr Else was at the office this lunchtime to assess the cost of the damage.

He said he hoped to reopen the office — one of two in Wembley — within a month.

Sheila Gadhia, who runs the newsagent and Post Office next door to the estate agent, was called last night by one of her newspaper delivery drivers about the fire and raced to the scene.

She said: “We saw all the fire brigade and police on the scene, it looked like so much damage had been done.

“The smell coming from there is so strong, and we are worried about damage that may have been done to our shop.”

Anyone with information about the fire can contact Brent Police on 0208 733 3709, or call Criomestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.