The blaze occurred in a small terraced house in Gladstone Street, Millfield at about 3am on Saturday, 27th June.

By the time fire crews arrived at the scene the two men had escaped from the house, and were later treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Fire crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground attended the scene, and quickly extinguished the blaze, but one room in the house was completely gutted by the flames.

A fire service spokesman said that investigations into the incident were still ongoing today.

And in a separate incident just hours before at about 7pm on Friday night, arsonists torched The George Hotel in Market Place, in Whittlesey. The hotel has stood in the centre of the town since the early 18th century, but it was only the quick actions of the fire service on Friday night that saved it from being reduced to a pile of rubble.

A number of fires were started in the bar and lounge area of the pub, which has been closed and boarded up for about 18 months, and the building was heavily smoke logged. However, firefighters were able to limit damage to fixtures and fittings on the ground floor.

Today, resident Paul Hart, from Whittlesey, said he had been worried about the safety of the hotel since seeing squatters in the pub, owned by national chain JD Weatherspoon, last week.

Mr Hart (45) said: "I was walking my dog in Whittlesey on Monday night when I saw some people going in and out of the pub that should not have been there.

"The George used to be the centre of Whittlesey, and it would be a real shame if it had been destroyed."

Ady Slack, incident commander for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The fire had started in the bar and the lounge, and eight firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went in to tackle the fire.

"While investigations are still going on, we can confirm that the fire was started deliberately."

Anyone with information about the either fire should call Cambridgeshire Police on 0345 4564564 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

n A 19 year old and a 20 year old male have been arrested on suspicion of arson at the Gladstone Street house and have been bailed to appear at Thorpe Wood Police Station on August 4.