Man arrested on suspicion of arson after fire guts two new-build homes in Cambridgeshire

A 47-year-old man has been arrested after two new-build homes in Cambridgeshire were destroyed by fire.

The fire service alerted police to the blaze in Houghton Road, St Ives, at about 10pm on Friday (October 6). Nearby roads were closed due to the thickness of smoke.

On Saturday, a man from St Ives was arrested on suspicion of arson, conspiracy to commit fraud and possession of an offensive weapon. He has been bailed to appear at Parkside police station on January 6.

The scene was cordoned off on Saturday, when police maintained a presence in the area.

Det Insp 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 should report it to police online or call 101 and quote incident number 585 of 6 October.