Two homes destroyed in St Ives in suspected arson attack

The fire occurred on a new build development on Houghton Road on Friday night

Author: Cameron HallPublished 8th Oct 2023

Two new build homes in St Ives have been destroyed in what police have called a suspected arson attack.

Cambridgeshire Police say they were called to the development on Houghton Road at 10pm on Friday night.

Nearby roads were closed due to thick smoke, and it remained cordoned off overnight.

After investigating with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue officers, they concluded the cause of the fire was arson.

Detective Inspector Nicola Lamport said: “This fire has caused a considerable amount of damage and while there is no estimate on the cost at this time, two new-build properties have been destroyed, meaning it will likely be hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“There was also inconvenience for local people with the smoke and the resulting road closure.

“We are treating the fire as arson so I am keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and noticed anything at all suspicious.”

Anyone with information about the fire should report it to the police online, or call 101 and quote incident number 585 of 6 October.