Armed officers scrambled to a block of flats in Bracknell where residents were evacuated after a man doused himself in fuel and set the property alight.  

The incident happened at a property on Moordale Avenue on Thursday, August 17 at around 7 pm.

Following their arrival alongside crews from Wokingham Road, Wokingham, Ascot, and Bracknell fire stations, police set up a cordon at the property as they dealt with the incident.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Detective Inspector Stuart Streeter said: “I am appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information about this offense to please come forward.

“Fortunately, nobody was injured by the fire; however, this took place in a residential area so it could have been much worse, and some people have been unable to return to their homes yet.

“I understand there may be some concern caused by the nature of the incident and our response but please be assured there is not thought to be any further risk to the wider public and an armed deployment is not unusual in these circumstances.”

The local authority is arranging alternative accommodation for residents who could not return to their homes due to the damage.

Detective Streeter added: “If you have any CCTV footage in the area or any dash-cam footage if you were in the area around the time, I’d also ask that you check any recordings in case it has captured something that could assist our investigation.

“To contact us, call 101 or make a report on our website, quoting reference number 43230368645.

“Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.”