Firefighters have been praised for saving lives last night after police confirmed two arson attacks at the same address in High Wycombe.

Crews were called to a fire in West Wycombe Road at 10.35pm and rescued five people from a second fire at the same house around 2.15am.

Firefighters say the second blaze would almost certainly have claimed lives had they not ensured that the fire alarm system was back up and working after the first fire.

Both fires are being linked, with police treating the cases as arson.

Det Sgt Mike Anderson of Force CID, leading the investigation, said: “We are treating both fires as suspected arson and we believe they are linked.

“We would urge anyone who has any information about how these fires began to contact us as a matter of urgency. We believe this to be an isolated incident and unrelated to the wider community”.

A dog unit was drafted in to investigate the cause of the fire earlier today.

Two fire engines were sent from High Wycombe Fire Station to the first fire, arriving within five minutes.

An additional crews from Beaconsfield Fire Station was requested as it was feared people were trapped inside the building.

A breathing apparatus crew was deployed with a hose reel to deal with the fire and search the premises, and a fan was used to help in clear the smoke.

All the residents were safely accounted for, but one was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The fire damaged a room on the ground floor, and there was heat and smoke damage to other parts of the building.

At 2.13am, the control room received another call to a fire at the same address. Five further calls were received from members of the public.

Two fire engines from High Wycombe Fire Station again responded to the incident and arrived within five minutes.

A number of people were believed to be inside the property, so two further fire engines were requested - one from Beaconsfield and another one from High Wycombe.

After a search, four men and a woman were led to safety. All five were suffering from the effects of the smoke and were assisted by attending paramedics.

One of the men was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

Group Manager Mick Martin from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service said: "This decision almost certainly saved lives.

"The fact that the fire alarm system was reinstated meant that it alerted the residents to the second fire, enabling them to vacate the premises and summon the fire and rescue service."

A joint investigation by Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service and Thames Valley Police is ongoing, with forensic officers on the scene. 

 

- A 29-year-old man from High Wycombe was arrested earlier today on suspicion of arson in connection with these incidents and is currently in custody.