Police investigating an arson attack on flats in Ellesmere Port have revealed a couple had to jump from an upstairs window to save their lives.
Cheshire Constabulary is appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened at a property in Sutton Way in the early hours of Friday (December 18).
The man and woman, who were taken to hospital after breathing in smoke, had earlier placed a sofa by their front door, which the criminals set alight. This meant their escape route was blocked.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: “The occupants of the address, a local man and woman, were awoken by a fire alarm at approximately 2am. As the couple went to investigate the couple found that a sofa, which they had left by their front door, was on fire and blocking their exit route.
“After discovering the fire the occupants were forced to jump out of an upstairs window to evacuate the building. As a result of the incident both of the occupants were taken to the Countess of Chester for treatment for smoke inhalation.”
Crews from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance for more than an hour and used two hose reels to extinguish the blaze. A powerful fan was used to extract smoke which had entered the three-storey block of flats.
Two dogs had to be taken from a ground floor flat, but were unharmed.
Anyone with information is asked to call Cheshire police on 101, quoting incident 68 of December 18, 2015. Alternatively, details can be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
