Torpoint man saved by fire service after trying to set himself alight

Devon & Cornwall Police say that they received a call from the fire service shortly before 3am on Monday 24 June, with a report that a man in Torpoint had doused himself in petrol.

On arrival at the scene, they found a man holding a petrol can and the property from the outside smelt strongly of petrol.

Police and fire then attempted to engage with the man, who began setting fire to items within the house.

Police report that the fire service then took action and flooded the house with water and gained entry.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the man was stopped from doing further harm.

There were three dogs in the property at the time, though the man had earlier released them into the garden.

A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and is currently in police custody where he will undergo a mental health assessment.

A police spokesman said: “Fire service colleagues and police response officers were working under tremendously challenging conditions and decisive quick thinking probably saved this man’s life.”