Standoff: Firefighters tackled a blaze at Keir Hardie Way

Police stand-off leads to arrest of wanted man at blazing flat in Barking

by John Phillips , Senior Reporter Monday, July 16, 2012
10:53 AM

A man wanted in connection with domestic violence offences was arrested on suspicion of arson after firefighters tackled a blaze at a Barking flat.

Police burst into the blazing flat and seized the man after a 40-minute stand-off in Keir Hardie Way on Friday afternoon.

Firefighters spent an hour tackling the blaze, which damaged a fifth of the first-floor flat.

The block of flats was evacuated as a precaution.

The man, who is believed to be in his late teens, was seized at around 4.40pm.

A Met police spokesman said: “We were callled at 4pm to a first-floor flat in Iris Court, Keir Hardie Way, to a report of a man wanted by police at the premises.

“Police were alerted to a fire within the flat. The London Fire Brigade were also called.

“The building, Iris Court, was evacuated. We forced entry at about 4.40pm and we arrested a man in his late teens.

“There was no one else in the flat. He was holding himself up. He was arrested on suspicion of arson and two counts of domestic violence relating to previous incidents. He was wanted by police.”

Around 15 firefighters tackled the fire at the flat between 4.10pm and 5.15pm.

Police called in medics who treated the man and he was taken to an unnamed hospital.

A police spokesman said there was no indication the man had suffered burns.

The London Fire Brigade said the blaze was under investigation.