A second person has been arrested on suspicion of arson as investigations continue into a fire that gutted a former care home on the border of East Hampshire.

Hampshire Police confirmed this morning that a 19-year-old woman from Hayling Island has been arrested in connection with the midweek blaze at the Heathmount site off London Road in Rake.

She has been released on bail with conditions until November 21 while police conduct further enquiries.

An 18-year-old man from Portsmouth who was previously arrested on suspicion of arson has also been released on conditional bail until November 20.

No-one was reported injured in the fire, which broke out shortly before midnight on Tuesday and involved 60 firefighters from around the county at its height.

Care homes Rake aerial view
An aerial view of the three care homes off the B2070 in Rake when they were open. (AYG Holdings Beeches Ltd)

There has been much talk around Rake and Liss about the devastating blaze given previous plans to build 68 homes on the site and the surrounding land.

However, there have long been concerns about security, vandalism and arson at Heathmount and the adjacent Copper Beeches site, with a villager raising the matter during a June 2025 presentation in Rake.

People who attended the village hall meeting heard that trespassers caught around the time had travelled from the other side of Southampton, while police have also found ‘urban explorers’ at the site in recent weeks.