A woman was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a house was destroyed by fire in a Wiltshire village on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters were called to the major blaze in Little Somerford, near Malmesbury at around 7am.
A house was gutted in the fire, and two adjoining annexes were significantly damaged.
Annexe tenant, Wayne Bennett told Wiltshire 999s that he was awoken to his neighbour – the woman who was later arrested – screaming hysterically in the garden of the property.
“I went outside and noticed the house was full of smoke, and then flames appeared and the windows smashed. I went and got a small fire extinguisher, which is from my caravan, and emptied it through the window but obviously it had no effect”, he commented.
“After that, there was nothing I could do. I watched the fire from the road.
“I’ve never had any issues with her, she’s a lovely woman”, he added.
Wiltshire Police confirmed a woman, in her 60s, was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life but has since been released on conditional bail.
Detectives, forensics and fire investigators spent much of yesterday working at the scene to establish the cause and gather evidence.
No one was injured in the fire.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up by the family of Mr Bennett, who has lost nearly everything in the blaze; they hope to raise at least £1,000. You can donate here.
