UPDATE: Epsom fire: "I have never seen fire ravage anything so quickly"

A 54-year-old 'local man' has been arrested on suspicion of causing the fire at Acer House, East Street, Epsom, just after 2am.

It is the second time in less than a week the building has been hit by a fire.

From Monday: Man in 50s arrested for arson after Valentine's Day rubbish fire

Terri Stockley-Hetheringon, from Chessington, a 36-year-old, who is a driver for out-of-hours doctors, was driving towards Epsom from Stoneleigh when she saw the blaze.

She said: "It looked really bad.  I have never seen a fire ravage anything so quickly.

"I can’t even imagine the temperature of fire like that.  I didn’t think the fine engines would have enough water in their tanks."       

Ms Stockley-Hetherington said she saw lots of ambulances, police cars and fire engines as she pulled up at the scene.

"We thought it was fog to start with.  As we came up the hill, we saw smoke and could smell it," she said.

"There was a fire ladder trying to quench the fire above and from the ground.

"It was in full blow.  We could see the wooden beams of the roof when we approached but within 10 minutes bricks were falling down.  It was very, very smoky. 

"There are lots of businesses in Kiln Lane and they were trying to get in and out and the police were directing them. 

"There was a big exclusion zone around it."

Ms Stockley-Hetherington said she spoke to police who told her no one had been injured.

East Street was closed between Windmill Lane and Church Lane due to the fire at the building by the Sainsburys roundabout at the junction with Kiln Lane.

As of about 10am there were still three fire engines there fighting a fire in part of the building.

The roof was engulfed in flames with smoke streaming from the house from the fire which is believed to have started at about 2am.

No-one was hurt or injured, according to police.

A spokesman at Banstead fire station said four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform fire engine were called to 97 – 101 East Street.

He said: "It was so well alight, no-one was committed into the building. Main jets were used and ladder platform because it had gone through the roof."

He said two fire engines and fire investigators with a dog that sniffs out fire accelerants such as petrol remain at the site.

In December planning permission was granted for the demolition of Acer House and the erection of a three storey block of flats.

Originally Acer House was apparently three homes but it was last used as a care home and has been vacant since 2011.

Epsom Civic Society said the building was recently removed from the local listing. 

There were road closures from the East Street junction with Hook Road and the East Street junction with Church Road. 

The building was still taped off as the fire has made it unsafe.

A police officer said at about 9.40am that they were not sure when the road would be fully re-opened but it could be the rest of the day.

If you have information about the fire contact Surrey Police on 101.

These pictures of the roof on fire were taken at 3.15am by Terri Stockley-Hetherington.

Reporter Hardeep Matharu took these pictures of the aftermath of the fire

Did you see the fire start? Email newsdesk@epsomguardian.co.uk or call 020 8722 6391.