Five people rescued following 'deliberate' fire at a block of flats in Plymouth

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service say police are investigating

Stock image of fire service cordon at scene of ongoing incident
Author: Emma HartPublished 20th Mar 2022
Last updated 20th Mar 2022

Five people have had to be rescued following a large fire at block of flats in Plymouth.

Crews rushed to the Sutton and Mount Gould area, where four were pulled to safety from the first floor using a ladder.

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue says another was rescued through a ground floor window.

Teams say the blaze started in a communal area in the early hours of Sunday morning.

They believe the cause was deliberate and have confirmed police are investigating.

In a statement, Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews attended a fire at a block of flats, where there were persons unable to get out.

"On arrival crews rescued four persons from a first floor flat using a ladder and one person rescued from a ground floor flat through a window.

"The fire was refuse in a communal area and extinguished using two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet and a thermal imaging camera.

"Positive pressure ventilation was used to clear the smoke.

"The cause of the fire was deliberate and the police are investigating.

"Duty of care has been left with them".

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