Pictures: Man set fire to house after barricading himself inside

Sussex Police attended the address, on Arun Road, Bognor Regis, on November 4 to carry out arrest attempts on two men wanted for domestic incidents.

A police spokesperson said that, seeing officers arrive, one of the suspects barricaded themselves in a bedroom for a number of hours, before setting fire to it.

“Officers acted quickly to force entry and assist the man from the bedroom via a window. He was airlifted to hospital for treatment and has since been discharged.The man, aged 26, has been charged with arson with the intent to endanger life. He appeared before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 8 November and has been remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing on 6 December,” a spokesperson said.

A second 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with arrested matter, but later de-arrested, to be dealt with slow-time.

A 56-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. She has since been cautioned and released from custody.

A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue said teams were called by Sussex Police shortly after 7.30pm on Friday night (November 4):

“Joint Fire Control mobilised fire engines from Bognor, Chichester and Selsey to the scene. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed into the property where they found a fire on the first floor, which they extinguished using two high pressure hose reels, two jets and a hydrant. Firefighters remained on scene and used a thermal imaging camera to ensure there were no further signs of fire.

“The last crew left the scene shortly after 11.30pm.

“Firefighters from Bognor Regis Fire Station returned to the scene on Saturday to speak with local residents and provide home fire safety advice.”

See below for images.

Read more

Bognor Regis veteran's pastel painting pays tribute to comrades