Family Of Seven Escape House Fire
4 November 2011, 16:49 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder following a house fire in Derby.
The 39-year-old was arrested this afternoon and remains in police custody.
Firefighters and police officers were called to a house in Buchan Street at 2.35am today (Friday, November 4), following reports of a fire.
A family of seven were in the house at the time, including a couple and a baby. A teenaged boy jumped from a window to safety, but fractured his wrist. A 32-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital for treatment, where he remains.
The Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, Sean Frayne commented: "The fact that there was a working smoke alarm in this house appears to have saved the lives of this entire family. Early indication of a fire is essential to allow those inside to escape safely. I call on everyone to get a smoke alarm and regularly test it to make sure it works. All too often we are called to fires where there is no smoke alarm or where the smoke alarm did not operate because the battery had not been replaced or was missing altogether. The circumstances of this incident are tragic; a family has lost its home and contents. However, once again, the lesson to be learnt from this incident is that working smoke alarms save lives. An absolute tragedy has been averted at this fire in Buchan Street."
Investigations to determine the cause of the fire at Buchan Street are on-going.
Detectives are appealing for information, particularly from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the street between 2am and 2.30am. Call Derbyshire police on the new 101 non-emergency number or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
