A 29-year-old woman was arrested after a fire in Pantside destroyed homes and forced 32 properties to be evacuated near Hazelwood Road in Newbridge. Gwent Police said the woman was held on suspicion of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, and she remains in custody.
The fire was reported just after 16:00 BST on Wednesday, and emergency services sent 12 fire appliances and two ambulances. Gwent Police said no injuries were reported, while residents were offered temporary accommodation after being moved out.
Julia Nichols in Pantside
Julia Nichols, 74, was among those evacuated from her home in Pantside. She said the fire left her in "absolute fear" and described the moment officers knocked on her door: "The next thing I know the police were knocking on my door and we had to go."
She said some of the people inside the leisure centre had already lost their homes. "We were sat in the leisure centre and there were a few people that had actually lost their homes," she said. "They were being so brave, I mean to lose everything."
John Davies on the fire
John Davies said police and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were carrying out a joint investigation. He said: "We understand that there are a lot of ongoing wildfires across the country, however I would like to make it clear that we do not consider this fire to be linked to any other wildfires," and added: "This fire has caused significant damage to a number of residential properties which will have a devastating impact on those in the local community."
The scale of the evacuation, the damage to homes, and the arrest mean the case now turns on what evidence linked the woman to the blaze and what caused the fire in the first place.
