Police are investigating a suspected arson attack following a fire in a derelict property on Foxhall Road for the second time this week.
The same house, on the junction of Foxhall Road and Kemball Street, was set alight on Saturday morning.
Fire crews were called to the scene, a detached building approximately 6m x 4m, at 1.38am. Two crews from Princes Street attended, along with one pump and an aerial ladder platform (ALP) from Ipswich East.
The fire service said it had received calls saying fire was visible in all windows of the building and the first floor was well alight.
The crew from Princes Street arrived at 1.43am. They used two hosereels and a jet to fight the fire.
Crews spent around two hours bringing the fire under control, stripping tiles from the roof to help them put out the blaze.
The crew was returning today to check for any hot-spots.
Police were called to the scene at about 2.30am.
Roy Hammond, and his wife, Jennifer, saw the fire.
Mr Hammond said: “The smell was terrible. The smoke coming out of the top of the roof was like a massive barbecue before you get the heat.”
The building had been empty for a number of years.
Mr Hammond said he believed it needed to be underpinned. It had also been over-run by rats and there had been rumours of suspected squatters in the building.
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “My house still stinks. The smoke was horrible.”
The police are investigating the fire which they suspect was an arson attack.
Anyone with any information should call Pc Hannah Creasey on 101 quoting reference IE/14/889.
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