Two boys have appeared in court after they were charged in connection with a tower block fire in Watford.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the 17-storey Abbey View block on the Meriden estate yesterday after the building caught fire at around 5am.
Firefighters believe a fire was deliberately started in the bin storage area before spreading to the building.
Five families have been unable to return to their flats due to the damage. They have been found alternative accommodation.
Read more: Watford flats still out of bounds after fire in tower block
No one was seriously injured but some people were treated for smoke inhalation.
Eight fire engines attended along with multiple ambulances and incident response units with neighbours first on the scene to warn people inside Abbey View about the fire.
Read more: Abbey View tower fire resident feared 'another Grenfell'
Police launched an investigation and quickly confirmed that two boys aged 13 and 14 had been detained on suspicion of arson.
This morning, Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed the boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.
They appeared before remand court today (July 13) where they were released on conditional bail. They are next due to appear before the courts on July 27.
Detective Inspector Chris Parperi, from the Watford local crime unit, said: “We appreciate that this incident has, understandably, caused a great deal of concern among the local community and officers remain in the area to provide reassurance.
“This was a fast-moving investigation which has now seen two teenagers charged and the case will progress through the courts.
“If you have any information about what happened and haven’t yet spoken to police, we’d urge you to please do so.”
Information can be reported online at herts.police.uk/report or by calling 101, quoting crime reference 41/55588/22.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.
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