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A man has been jailed for eight years after deliberately starting a fire in the stairwell of a residential tower block.<\/p>\n
Israel Baber set a sofa on fire at Eccleston House<\/a> in Barton Hill, Bristol, shortly after 06:00 BST on 20 October 2022.<\/p>\n The 37-year-old, who lived in the block, denied the offence, claiming he was in his flat at the time. However, he was captured on CCTV moving around the building.<\/p>\n Det Ch Insp Laura Miller, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Baber’s actions were hugely dangerous, and make no mistake they could have led to a much worse outcome on another day.”<\/p>\n Baber was convicted by a jury<\/a> at Bristol Crown Court on 14 March.<\/p>\n Speaking during sentencing at the same court on Monday, His Honour Judge James Patrick said Baber “endangered his neighbours and friends, resulting in a major incident”.<\/p>\n Baber’s sentence was increased due to aggravating factors and he will serve a minimum of two-thirds of it in custody.<\/p>\n The fire quickly spread around the building and all residents had to be evacuated. One person had to be rescued by the fire service, police said.<\/p>\n Nobody was seriously injured, but six people needed treatment for smoke inhalation.<\/p>\n A number of residents had move out and be re-housed by Bristol City Council, with the cost of the damage estimated to be more than \u00a3600,000.<\/p>\n Det Ch Insp Miller said: “The design of the building is such that residents were able to safely exit down a different staircase, but this should not downplay the seriousness of what Baber did.<\/p>\n “The fire understandably caused residents a lot of alarm and Baber has refused at any stage to take accountability for his reckless actions,” she added.<\/p>\n Follow BBC Bristol on <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>X<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>. Send your story ideas to us on email or via <\/em>WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n‘Reckless actions’<\/h2>\n
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