Police to review 2019 Devizes flat fire investigation

Police are reviewing their investigation into a fire in a block of flats in Devizes back in 2019, which resulted in the death of a 51-year-old woman.

At around 1am on December 17 that year, emergency services were called to a fire in Waiblingen Way. The fire investigation found that it had been started deliberately in a communal area of the building.

Ulla Derrick, a resident the block of flats, was taken to hospital but died from her injuries. Eight other people, between the ages of 5 and 62 years old, were assessed at the scene by paramedics but did not require hospital treatment.

At the time, police arrested a 20-year-old local man on suspicion of murder and was released with no further action.

DCI Phil Walker, lead of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said, "We have always kept this case open. A woman died because of someone's actions, and we want to seek justice for her death."

"In December 2019 and the following months, we spoke to multiple local residents trying to piece together what happened. We know this incident caused great concern to those living in Waiblingen Way, as well as the wider community of Devizes."

"We are sharing previously unreleased CCTV which shows someone arriving and leaving the block of flats around the same time the fire was started. We acknowledge it is not very clear, but we are hoping that someone may recognise who it might be. Perhaps you recognise the clothing, or the way the person is walking seems familiar. Maybe you had a small piece of information that you did not tell officers at the time but could be something we can look into. We want to hear from you."