UPDATE

Surrey Police is continuing to investigate a series of fires at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Officers were called to assist fire crews around 8pm following the discovery of a number of fires within the Founder's Building, which are believed to have been started deliberately. The resulting minor damage has not affected the building itself.

Residents were evacuated from the building while officers, including dog units and the police helicopter, carried out a search for the suspect.

A 21-year-old student was detained nearby shortly afterwards and was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He is currently in police custody at hospital, while he receives medical treatment.

The Founder's Building remains closed to all but essential staff while officers from Surrey Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue conduct forensic enquiries.

The university and emergency services are working together to open the building as quickly as possible, while ensuring that all available evidence is collected, and the areas are safe to return to.

Inspector Nick Pinkerton from Surrey Police said:

“I want to be clear that this was an isolated event. This was a serious incident, but the planning and professionalism of the emergency services and university staff prevented it being a tragedy. We are grateful for the patience of the staff and students of Royal Holloway, who are supporting us while we carry out our essential investigation work as quickly as possible."

Professor Paul Layzell, Principal of Royal Holloway said:

"I am very grateful that, due to the swift actions of our Security team, working alongside Surrey Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, no one was injured last night. Our community came together quickly and calmly throughout the night to ensure that our students felt safe and supported. We continue to support them today and are working to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Surrey Police on 101, quoting incident reference P16274692.