A MAN was arrested in Blackburn after allegedly setting his house on fire.

The blaze broke out in the front room of a house in Snaefell Road at around 11pm on Tuesday.

Police officers were at the scene for around three hours. They later they arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of arson.

MORE TOP STORIES:

A nearby resident, who rang the fire brigade, said she was very concerned for her young daughter whose bedroom was just metres away from the flames.

She said: “My partner had only gone to bed moments before it happened, it was a real shock.

“He heard the fire alarm going off and we woke up our neighbour to warn her.

“The fire was put out quick but the firefighters told me that I rang at the right time because it was spreading quick and could have destroyed the house within minutes.

“My daughter’s bedroom is very close to the house so I was worried when I saw the flames, I thought I might need to get her out but thankfully she was safe.

“The man has got a lot of wood in his garden so that was a concern as well.”

Two fire crews from Blackburn attended and doused the flames with a hose reel before going upstairs to search the property, but no one was found inside.

Another nearby resident, who suffers from asthma, was affected by the smoke that came in through her window.

She said: “I’ve had to remove some curtain that smelt after the fire and the smoke got to my chest and has been making me cough a lot.

“I do have asthma so it’s the last thing you want when you have a condition like that.

“I think the smoke rose up from the living room into my bedroom.”

Investigations into the fire are ongoing and the man arrested was being questioned by officers yesterday in Blackburn.

Watch manager Rob Birtwistle said the incident emphasised the importance of smoke alarms.

He said: “Smoke alarms save lives. You are more than twice as likely to die in a fire at home if you haven’t got one.”

“A smoke alarm is the easiest way to alert you to the danger of fire, giving you and your family precious time to escape.”