A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson following a fire in Hersham on Saturday night that destroyed a shop and the flat above it.
The blaze started just before 10pm behind Carpets, Beds, Rugs and Pine, in Molesey Road, and then spread to the flat above, leaving the entire building gutted.
The road was condoned off by police and it took firefighters from nine fire engines about six hours to control the fire, which had spread to the next door dry cleaners and two other flats.
Fire crews from Surbiton, Wimbledon and Woking also attended the scene to carry out appliance support.
Surrey Fire and Rescue service would not confirm whether there were people in the destroyed building at the time of the fire.
Surrey Police, concerned gas cylinders at the back of the carpet shop would explode in the fire, evacuated residents living in flats along Molesey Road to a nearby taxi rank and people living in properties in nearby Claremont Close were also told to get out of their houses.
Peter Dunningham, who lives in Claremont Close, said he his wife had been asleep when they were woken by police and told to leave their house.
He said: “There was a slamming on my door and a policeman was telling us to get out of the house as they were worried gas cylinders would come flying through our windows.
“I looked outside and the flames were 30 to 40 feet high, but by the time we got downstairs we were told the main danger of the exploding canisters had passed.”
A 55-year-old man from Hersham was arrested at the scene and has now been released on bail.
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