LONDON: London's police said they are investigating an "arson attack" as an antisemitic hate crime after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire on Monday.
The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green at 1:40 am (local time).
Firefighters called to the scene found that multiple cylinders on the vehicles had exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent block.
London's Metropolitan Police said the burnt vehicles were four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service.
"Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime," police said in a statement.
No injuries have been reported and all the fires have been put out, police added.
"We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage," superintendent Sarah Jackson said, adding that no arrest has been made.
Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution and road closures remained in place.
London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Shomrim North West London, a charity and volunteer neighbourhood watch group, condemned the arson branding it a "targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community".
"An attack on these ambulances is an attack on the safety, wellbeing, and resilience of our community... There is no place for antisemitism or hate in our society," the group wrote on Facebook.