A 46-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of arson following a shed fire in Ryde last summer will face no further action, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has confirmed.
2 fire appliances – 1 wholetime and 1 retained – from Ryde were mobilised to Ashey Road, near the junction with Leighwood Close, at 00:38 on Sunday 27th July to reports of an outbuilding well alight.
Orange flames could be seen glowing in the night sky from across the town.
Crews used hose reels and main jets to extinguish the back garden blaze, which had spread to a neighbouring fence panel. Firefighters spent just over an hour tackling the fire, returning a stop message at 01:54.
Around 40 minutes into the operation, the fire service alerted Police to potentially suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.
A 46-year-old man from Cowes was arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage. He was initially bailed until 27th October, then further bailed, pending investigation.
However, Police have now confirmed that the man has been released from bail and will face no further action.
Crime scene investigators from the mainland – including fire investigation dogs – were deployed to the scene in Swanmore the morning after the fire to conduct on-site enquiries.
No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
