A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a huge fire destroyed a £400,000 home on a quiet village street.
The blaze is believed to have been started deliberately yesterday afternoon and gutted the three-bedroom detached house in West Moors, Dorset.
Paramedics treated one man at the scene for smoke inhalation, but he was later arrested by police in connection with the fire and is now being questioned.
Fire crews rushed to the scene in West Moors, Dorset, yesterday and put out the blaze
The fire at about 1pm gutted the three-bedroom detached house in West Moors, Dorset
Paramedics treated one man at the scene for smoke inhalation, but he was later arrested
The arrested man is now being questioned by police following the blaze in West Moors
Neighbours said a couple moved into the 1970s-built house about two years ago but recently a woman had been living there by herself.
It is not known exactly how the fire started but the property, which was sold for £365,000 in October 2014 and is now worth about £415,000, was destroyed.
Fire crews rushed to the scene at about 1pm yesterday and put out the blaze. Investigators used specially trained dogs as they examined the property for clues.
One local resident, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I live just opposite and looked out the window to see the house on fire with smoke coming out from everywhere.
‘It was a surprise to say the least and to be honest I’m not sure how I missed it starting. The main thing though is that it’s just lucky no one was more seriously hurt.’
The three-bedroom detached property in West Moors is pictured before the huge blaze
Neighbours said a couple moved into the 1970s-built house about two years ago
It is not known exactly how the fire started but the property, worth £415,000, was gutted
Dorset Police closed the road and arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder
A Dorset Police spokesman said: ‘We were called by the fire service at 1.04pm on Tuesday to reports of a fire at an address in West Moors.
‘The fire service, ambulance service and officers from Dorset Police attended the scene and the road was closed to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.
‘One man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and an investigation is underway to establish the cause of the fire.
‘A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is assisting officers with their enquiries.’
The average house value on the road where the fire happened is £590,000, which is 70 per cent higher than the average for the village of £348,000.
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