Officers arrest suspected arsonist after fire in Redhouse

A man arrested in connection with an incident in Redhouse, Swindon, last night remains in police custody.

Officers were called to an address in Spode Close shortly after midnight last night (14/10/19) following a report that a man had started a small fire inside a flat.



Police officers, as well as colleagues from the fire and rescue service and ambulance service, attended the scene, and, due to the nature of the concerns, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team were also deployed as a precaution.



A cordon was put in place and a number of residents from neighbouring addresses were evacuated.



The situation was resolved swiftly and a 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and communicating false information. He remains in custody at Gablecross Police Station this morning.



The cordon was lifted and people were allowed to return to their homes by 2.40am.



Superintendent Adrian Burt, Swindon Borough Policing Commander, has thanked everyone for their understanding and co-operation.



He said: “I know that last night’s incident would have been concerning for all those involved, particularly those people who were woken by the emergency services and asked to leave their homes in the middle of the night.



“I’m sure everyone appreciates that we were acting with the public’s safety at the forefront of our minds and, although are actions were precautionary, we had to make sure nobody was put in harm’s way.



“I would like to commend all the police officers and staff who attended the incident, as well as thank our colleagues from the other emergency services and the military, for their support. Their professionalism meant we were able to resolve this quickly and with minimum disruption.



“I would also like to thank the staff at the nearby Asda supermarket who kindly agreed to shelter the evacuated residents until we could confirm it was safe for them to return home.”