An "exploding" fire in the grounds of a supermarket last night may be linked to a series of fires in the area recently, including massive damage to a building in Epsom in February.

The fire happened at 10.40pm near an alleyway to the right-hand side of the entrance of Sainsbury’s in Kiln Lane, Epsom.

A homeless man who was drunk is understood to have set fire to rubbish at the site, possibly to keep warm, which quickly spread to a recycling bin, a wooden fence and undergrowth.

A spokesman at Epsom fire station said it is believed the fire may be the work of the "same man or group of people" police suspect may have been responsible for two fires in February at the nearby derelict Acer House in East Street - the second of which gutted the derelict mental health building.

From February: "I have never seen fire ravage anything so quickly"

A 19-year-old witness, who is a student, said she and three friends were sitting in the supermarket’s car park talking last when the incident happened.

She said: "A homeless man was wandering around for half an hour emptying out the contents of a recycling bin at the top right-hand corner of the car park. 

"Half an hour later there were sparks coming from this bin in that corner and the fire was spreading to a wooden fence next to the alleyway joining onto Glyn School.

"It was all starting to catch fire. 

"The fire was exploding and getting bigger and bigger."

She said the man ran away down the alleyway when he saw the police and fire brigade turn up, but police caught up with him and and the student and her friends made a positive identification of him.

She added: "It did cause quite a lot of damage. 

"He was a middle-aged man. He was drinking from a can of Stella.  He looked like he was starting the fire to keep warm.

"The police reckoned he was trying to make a bed there for the night."

She said it took police 30 minutes to get him into a police van as he was "very drunk".

"He was screaming and shouting.  He called us knob heads and paedophiles," she said.

The fire station spokesman said they believe this was another in "a spate of insignificant fires in and around the Sainsbury’s Kiln Lane, Fairview Avenue, Kingsway, Ewell area" in the last month, caused by members of the same family.

He said: "It’s going back to when we had Acer House burnt down on the corner of Kiln Lane. 

"The area, during the summer, attracts homeless people. 

"The intelligence I have got is that it’s a particular group of people all from the same family who are known to drink too much and too often. 

"They are known to frequent and hang around that area."

In April, a 54-year-old man from Epsom was arrested for the Acer House fire but police said he had been "released with no further action being taken against him".

Of last night’s blaze, the fireman said: "We believe this is the same man or group of people as Acer House."

He said the fire brigade spent 45 minutes extinguishing the fire.

"They have been raiding the recycling and charity bins and sleeping rough up and down the alleyway," he added.

"I ask people to be more vigilant and aware in that area.  I don’t want this to be a witch-hunt for homeless people. 

"Epsom is not known for its homeless community but there is an underside.

"Small fires lead to bigger incidents as was proved with Acer House.

"The fires are starting to get bigger and bigger. 

"This is a pattern we find with people who have a penchant for starting fires. 

"They become braver and bolder until they get burnt or caught."

  • Police said they have arrested a 57-year-old "local" man on suspicion of arson. He has been released on bail until August 11 while the investigation continues.  Anyone with information should call the police on 101, quoting reference 45150058314, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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