Man arrested after Felixstowe house fire

A MAN risked his life by running into a burning building to search for people he thought might be trapped during a blaze at a Felixstowe house today.

No one was in the house and the occupant has now been arrested in connection with the fire in Capel Drive.

The blaze wrecked the top half of the house, and needed three fire crews to control it.

Two fire crews from Felixstowe and one from Ipswich were called to the blaze at 12.38am.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus had quelled the flames by 1.15am.

Neighbours of the burnt house were left with a clean up operation after the smell of smoke filtered through to their home.

Cara Field and Tony Pearse, said the man who lived in the house had left last night before the fire started.

Another man who lived over the road, rushed to save any possible people trapped inside and found the door was unlocked.

The man who lived in the house returned later, while the fire crews were still on the scene and according to his neighbours, he had appeared 'unfazed'.

The house, which is within a block of terracing, was a quarter damaged by fire and the remainder effected by smoke damage.

Miss Field said she had been washing her curtains all morning and had gone out to buy cleaning fluids after a sleepless night.

She said the man who went in to the house had been very brave as her and her partner may not have woken up as their smoke alarm had not detected the fire.

She added: "He needs a thank you."

A spokesman for Suffolk police said: "There was a call from a member of public to inform us that there was a fire at an address in Felixstowe.

"That call was about 12.40 this morning. We attended and it was established very quickly that there was no one in the premises.

"Subsequently a man was arrested by the police in connection with this incident and has been taken to Felixstowe police station where he will be investigated."