A man has been arrested over a suspected arson attack on a block of flats, which is believed to have killed two apprentice jockeys today.
North Yorkshire Police are questioning a man in connection with the fatal blaze at Buckrose Court, Norton, near Malton.
Superintendent Steve Tarn said the suspect was arrested shortly after the incident.
He said: “We are going to interview him to establish his involvement or not.
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“At this moment in time the police are treating the fire as suspicious and would ask for the community in Malton and Norton for their help.”
Supt Tarn said that he could give no details about the people who had died in the three-storey block, known locally as The Tannery.
He added that their bodies had not been recovered from the building due to safety concerns over it’s structure.
It is believed the victims are two apprentice jockeys, who lived in the flats.
Emergency services were called out at around 2.15am and had to evacuate about 20 people from the block.
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Group Manager Stuart Simpson, from North Yorkshire Fire Service, said crews were at the scene within five minutes but could not get inside immediately because of the fire on the staircase.
He said firefighters had the blaze under control quickly and managed to get in through windows.
Mr Simpson said around 60 firefighters were involved.
Two men believed to be in their early 20s, were taken to York District Hospital to be treated for the effects of smoke inhalation and burn injuries.
One of the men has now been released.
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Trainer John Quinn, who runs stables at Malton, North Yorkshire, was on his way to the scene of the fire to speak to investigating officers.
He said: “There is no confirmation who has died.”
“It’s awful. I am just hoping we’ll know something soon. I am not even sure if the people assumed to be dead are still in the building.
“It’s just a nightmare.”
Steve Kinsella, who runs a Railway Tavern pub opposite the scene, described how he was first aware of the incident when a girl came into the street screaming.
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He said: “I just heard someone shouting. So I looked through the window and saw a girl just running in the street.
“All she had on was a t-shirt.
“She was shouting, ’Fire, fire’, screaming at the top of her voice.
“I was just about to pick up the phone to dial 999 myself but as I had the phone in my hand the fire brigade turned up.”
Mr Kinsella said that the police asked him to open up his pub and up to 20 people evacuated from the flats came inside to recover.
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He said at that point he did not realise anyone had died, although he knew the incident was serious.
Asked how the residents were in his pub, he said: “They were shocked but quiet.
“Nobody was hysterical. They were very, very dignified.”
Catherine Hyder, who also lives opposite the flats, said: “My husband heard a girl come down onto the street and was banging on doors to raise the alarm.
“She said someone had jumped out of one of the windows.
“We could see the flames at the back and there were a lot of fire brigade people around.
“It was quite scary and quite noisy.”