Arsonist jailed after setting light to his own flat

An arsonist has been jailed after putting dozens of neighbouring families at risk when he set fire to his own flat.

Keenan Savage lit the blaze in his second floor home in Augustine Gardens, Bestwood, and then fled the scene without alerting his neighbours.

Three days later, Savage called police to claim he had visited his flat for the first time in a month and discovered it gutted by fire.

Detectives were able to unravel his story after analysing CCTV which showed the 22-year-old at the scene in the moments around the fire being lit.

Savage, of Augustine Gardens, was jailed for two-and-a-half years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (25 April).

He had earlier pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

Savage also admitted a theft from an address in Bestwood on 25 August.

Officers were called to Augustine Gardens around 7.25pm on 8 November 2023 after Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service reported the flat was alight.

Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control and were able to confirm all people had been accounted for.

Savage’s whereabouts were initially unknown but inquiries and CCTV footage identified him as a suspect.

He was seen on footage arriving at the flat while speaking to someone on a mobile phone, and then departing around eight minutes later.

A neighbouring smoke alarm was ringing on CCTV footage recorded four minutes after this.

Fire investigators concluded the most likely cause of the fire was deliberate ignition by naked flame in the kitchen and living room area of Savage’s flat.

It is believed he used an accelerant, although the damage to the premises was so severe no remnants were found.

Savage called 101 on 11 November 2023 stating he had visited his flat for the first time in ‘three to four weeks’ to discover it had been damaged by fire.

Investigations revealed he was not at the location when he made the call and had not been to the flat since the offence.

Detective Constable Shannon Hutchinson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“Thankfully our colleagues at the fire service were able to quickly bring the flames under control – but that is no thanks to Savage.

“Arson is always an extremely serious and reckless offence but to set fire to a flat in a residential area shows a blatant disregard for the life of other people living in that block of flats and the wider neighbourhood.

“If the flames hadn’t been brought under control so quickly, this fire could have had catastrophic consequences. It is only through good fortune that no one was injured or worse."