Two arrested after Connah’s Quay house fire

Aug 2 2012 by Dave Goodban, Flintshire Chronicle

TWO people were arrested after a suspected arson attack at a house in the middle of the night.

A bedroom and the bathroom were destroyed by flames at the home in Maengwyn Avenue, Connah’s Quay.

Three men – the man who lived in the house and two neighbours – were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the blaze, which broke out in the bathroom just before 3.10am on Tuesday, caused severe damage to the house.

She added: “The male occupier and two male neighbours were given precautionary checks at the scene.

“Two fire crews from Deeside were sent out and the police were also informed. Fire officers are currently investigating the cause.”

A North Wales Police spokesman said it is thought no-one was inside the property when the fire, which is being treated as suspicious, was started.

But he said an arson investigation was under way and two people had been arrested.

The semi-detached property, which is believed to be rented by a single man, was empty on Tuesday, but fire chiefs and police were still on the scene trying to establish how the blaze started.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said he and his housemates were woken in the middle of the night by a strong smell of smoke.

He added: “It was very early in the morning and my housemate saw all the smoke.

“He luckily woke everyone else up and we all got out of the house.

“It was very bad. Two of us had to be given oxygen for smoke inhalation.

“We had to stay outside the house for over an hour.”

A police spokesman said yesterday: “A man and a woman have been released on bail pending further enquiries.”