Fears for family after 'arson attack'
Updated on 27 August 2008
A millionaire and his family are missing after their country estate was burned down in a suspected arson attack.
Police launched a major investigation following the blaze in Maesbrook, near Oswestry, Shropshire, which broke out shortly before 5am on Tuesday.
It is not known if Jillian and Christopher Foster and their teenage daughter Kirsty were in Osbaston House at the time of the fire, but all three remain unaccounted for.
The country house, which has a stable block and kennels, is reportedly worth £1.2 million.
Detective Superintendent Jon Groves, from West Mercia Constabulary's Major Incident Unit, said: "There was a CCTV system at the property, which has been recovered by officers and will be examined over the coming days.
"The house, a garage and stable block and another outbuilding were severely damaged. Two horses in the stable and another in the outbuilding have been found dead and two dogs, which we believe were in a kennel block, are missing.
"A search of the property will be carried out to establish if anybody was inside as soon as the building is deemed to be safe.
According to reports, Mr Foster is a multi-millionaire businessman who made his fortune developing insulation technology for oil rigs.
A friend of Mr Foster Gordon Richards said: "When I saw Chris a few days ago, he seemed happy, but he said he was feeling the pinch at work because of the credit crunch."
He went on: "He used to have two Porsches and an Aston Martin, and he goes shooting and fishing in his spare time."
The road leading to the family home remains cordoned off and a police helicopter has been circling above.
One of the nearest neighbours, who lives around a mile away, said Mr Foster often used to go shooting with friends in the local area.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is very, very weird.
"We have not heard anything. We don't know whether they were in there or not. I just hope they are all safe."
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