Local male arrested. Police appeal for witnesses

At 0750am on Sunday 2nd December, officers received a report of a fire in a set of flats above the Royal Clarence Pub in Harbour Road, Seaton.

It quickly became apparent that this was a major fire and a significant amount of damage has been caused. The property as a whole accommodates 15 flats, some of which were occupied at the time. Following some exceptional work by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, all of the occupants were quickly evacuated, and whilst no-one has sustained serious injuries, a number of people were treated at the scene for the effects of smoke inhalation.

As a result of enquiries made at the scene by detectives, the fire is currently being treated as suspicious, and a resident of the flats was arrested a few hours later on suspicion of arson with intent to (or being reckless as to whether) life would be endangered. He remains in custody at Heavitree Road Police Station in Exeter and will be interviewed during the evening.

Superintendent Matt Lawler, the local policing commander for Exeter, East and Mid Devon said: "Firstly, we are all relieved that no-one has been significantly hurt as a result of this fire. It has however caused major damage to the property, and a full scale multi-agency response was put in place. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have led on the response to the fire itself, and police cordons were put in place to protect the public and preserve what is now a crime scene. Whilst the fire was extinguished, further work was needed to check the safety of gas, electricity and water supplies to the property and this meant significant disruption in Seaton town centre during the course of the day. We would like to sincerely thank residents and local businesses for their patience and support."

 

The police have confirmed that whilst there are a number of identified residents that they have not located at the scene, there is no-one left inside the property, and so officers will be seeking to speak to those residents when they return.

 

Supt Lawler added "We are grateful for the excellent support from Devon County Council and East Devon District Council, who have supported the temporary housing of displaced residents, and to the Red Cross, who have provided emergency packs. We have also had tremendous support from local businesses who opened their doors to help, and to local residents who have provided wonderful assistance to the fire crews."

 

Police are linking their investigation into the fire with a collision that took place in Castle Hill in Seaton shortly before where a car struck a wall. As a result, they have issued a witness appeal to anyone who may have seen a Blue Fiat Panda involved in a collision with the wall of a property on Castle Hill, or who may have been in Harbour Road, Seaton between the hours of 0700 and 0800.

 

A police guard is expected to continue throughout the night, and further forensic work by both police and fire investigators in planned for tomorrow.

 

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident reference 313 dated 02/12/18.