A man doused himself in petrol and began setting fire to items in his home in the early hours of this morning, Police have said.
Emergency services were called to a house in Torpoint following reports that a man had covered himself in petrol.
Police said when officers and fire fighters attempted to engage with the individual he began setting fire to items in the house.
Fire fighters flooded the house with water to extinguish the flames and gain entry to the building.
Police said the fire was quickly extinguished and the man was stopped from doing further harm.
A 49-year old man was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and is currently in police custody where he will undergo a mental health assessment.
A representative from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Fire service colleagues and police response officers were working under tremendous challenging conditions and decisive quick thinking probably saved this man's life."
