A nan woke up in a panic after she heard bangs on her door telling her she must leave her home.
Just after 4.50am officers were called to a report of a fire on Claughton Road in Birkenhead. Nine other fires to skips and cars in the nearby area were also reported.
Neighbours were dragged out of their beds in the early hours of the morning after a fire ripped through a house.
Two police officers were taken to hospital after suffering dog bites to their arm and hand at the scene.
Several people have been taken to hospital with injuries caused by smoke inhalation but are in a stable condition. Doreen Parriss, 83, who lives next door said she was woken up to loud bangs on her door telling her she needs to leave her home.
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She told the ECHO: "With my arthritis, I struggle to get out of bed in the morning and there was a knock on the door. I could not get down quickly enough because I need to use a stairlift to get down the stairs. When I got down there were two burley firemen telling me I need to leave.
"The trouble was I need to use the toilet but they took me out in my wheelchair and I only had my nightie on. The neighbours were very nice and gave me two blankets to keep me warm."
Several people have been taken to hospital with injuries caused by smoke inhalation but are in a stable condition. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the fires and houses in the area and evacuated the road.
Doreen said: "There was thick white smoke along the street and they had put it out by the time went outside. It was panic for the first few minutes because I did not know what was going on and to open the door to smoke was shock."
Police now believe that the fires may have been caused deliberately. A 31-year-old man from Egremont has been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He has been taken to a police station for further questioning.
The fire nearly sent Doreen's house up in flames and was put out just in time by Merseyside Fire and Rescue. The blaze has left her fence destroyed and smashed two of her windows.
Doreen's daughter Julie Madden said: "When I heard the news I did not know what to think... When I saw the state of my mum's house I just broke down crying she could have been killed."
Doreen said: "I just hope that they are okay and they are not hurt... The damage to my home is awful and it will be hard to get it fixed."
A joint investigation between Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police is ongoing and anyone with any information is asked to contact police.
Chief Inspector Colin Dyer said: “We are working closely with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in establishing the cause of this horrifying incident that has caused severe damage to several people’s homes and left one house destroyed in Birkenhead.
"Although we have made an arrest, I would ask anyone who lives in the area and saw or heard anything from around 4.30am onwards this morning to come forward. You may have doorbell footage or have been passing the houses in a vehicle which has dashcam. Please check, as this could be vital to our investigation.”
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue said: "Fire crews have been called to multiple fires in Claughton Road and the surrounding area this morning, including house fires in Claughton Road, Birkenhead. After a call to Fire Control from Merseyside Police, crews were alerted at 4.55am and on scene at 5.01am, with three fire engines in attendance.
"Crews arrived to find two terraced houses with the ground floor of one well alight. This fire had spread to the property next door. Two firefighters entered one house under rapid deployment, rescuing two people. Both were conscious and breathing. Three teams of two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus fought the larger fire in the property next door with hose reels while also searching the property for occupants.
"Firefighters have led a third person to safety from a third property along the terrace to ensure their safety and evacuated other neighbouring properties. The house fires are now extinguished and people rescued at the scene are being treated by North West Ambulance Service for smoke inhalation. All persons have been accounted for.
"There has been a series of fires in the vicinity including wheelie bins and skip fires. Merseyside Police are in attendance."
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with any information can contact us by DM via our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference to 203 of Saturday 17 June. You can also contact the independent charity Crime stoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
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