ARSON attacks and hoax calls to the police and fire brigade in Okehampton have put a stretch on emergency services this week at a time when they are most needed.

Now in its sixth day, the fire strike over pay by full time officers means retained crews and local police are on standby if emergencies occur in bigger towns and cities.

Okehampton Police have launched an investigation into the cause of a fire at a four storey house in St James Street, Okehampton on Monday evening in which one person had to be rescued by firefighters.

Police are treating the blaze as arson after discovering three different sources of the fire.

When fire crews attended the scene from Okehampton at 11.45pm they found the building, which is divided into flats, highly smoke logged and there were reports of people trapped inside.

Station officer Ian Donovan said four sets of breathing apparatus were used and a methodical search of the premises was undertaken.

?At the time we were unsure of how many people were inside the building ? five had managed to get out before we arrived but one was trapped in a kitchen on the third floor,? he said.

?We got him out immediately and searched the rest of the property whilst at the same time fighting the fire and carrying out ventilation of the premises.?

Mr Donovan said crews quickly got the fire under control and contained it to the first floor landing. They left the scene at about 2am.

?It was potentially quite serious because we were uncertain at the time as to what extent the fire had taken hold and thick black smoke had filled three floors,? said Mr Donovan.

The man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Okehampton Police said a wheelie bin was also set alight on the same night in East Street.

Inspector Dai Anthill said it was unusual to have two suspected arson incidents on one night in Okehampton.

?Scenes of Crime officers have attended the locations but we do not know at this stage if these incidents are linked or have anything to do with the fire strikes,? he said.

Two people were also arrested after a series of hoax calls to the police and fire brigade in Okehampton in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Fire crews attended addresses in Crediton Road following reports that smoke was pouring out of buildings.

Inspector Anthill said continuous nuisance calls were also made to the police throughout the night but he did not believe these were linked to the arson attacks.

?With the fire strike on at the moment we can do without incidents like this which put a stretch on our limited resources,? he said.

?Although this area is covered by retained fire crews and the same number of police officers as normal, if an emergency occurs in the area usually covered by full time crews we can all be called in to help.?

The inspector confirmed that local police were accompanying the Army?s Green Goddesses to fire shouts outside the area to ensure a safe passage to the correct destination.

?The local knowledge of the army personnel attending locations in Devon and Cornwall is limited and that is where police officers come in,? he said. ?A police escort ensures they get to incidents as quickly as possible.?

If anyone has information concerning the fires on Monday night they should contact Okehampton Police on 08705 777444.