Two people had to be rescued from a burning building after a suspected arson attack in Pelican Close.

The fire service received multiple calls to the house fire at around 9.15pm last night. It is believed a bin may have been set alight outside, which then spread to the property. Initially, two appliances from Princes Street were sent followed by a third from Ipswich East when a subsequent call stated there were persons trapped inside the building.

The crews used two breathing apparatus while fighting the fire and confirmed that everyone was accounted for. It was not clear whether anyone was injured.

Simon Hurst, station commander for the Ipswich area, said firefighters rescued two men in their 20s from the first-floor flat.

He said: “When the first crews turned up they found two people in an upstairs flat. One was leaning from a front window of the property upstairs and the other one was leaning out of the back window of the upstairs.”

He added: “It was a small fire in the downstairs area of the property and the outside of the property. It was smoke affecting the upstairs so they couldn’t get down the stairs. We extinguished the fire and then brought them out through the property’s front door.”