Devizes 'arson attack': Woman fighting for life after nine injured in fire at block of flats

Police are investigating the fire as a suspected arson attack
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Stephanie Cockroft17 December 2019
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A woman is fighting for her life and eight more have been injured in a suspected arson attack in Wiltshire.

Emergency services were called to the block of flats in Devizes shortly after 1am on Tuesday.

The fire is believed to have started in a communal area and is being treated as arson.

A police spokeswoman said: "At this stage, we believe nine people have been injured as a result of the fire, including one woman who has suffered serious injuries.

"She is currently being treated at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon and is in a critical condition."

The fire was extinguished by 2.25am and a joint investigation by police and fire services into the cause of the blaze is under way.

Det Insp Helen Jacobs, of Wiltshire Police, said: "Although we are very much at the early stage of our investigation, we are treating this incident as arson and we will be conducting multiple inquiries today to identify the exact circumstances."

Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the Waiblingen Way area of Devizes before 1am is asked to contact Wiltshire Police on 101, quoting log 13 of December 17.

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