Hundreds of firefighters have been tackling three major blazes in South Oxfordshire, as police arrested a man on suspicion of arson.

The 47-year-old is being held in connection with the fires, including one that has devastated the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council council offices.

A witness has described seeing a burned out car in the foyer of the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council offices.

Twenty-seven fire crews were sent to separate infernos at a thatched home, a funeral parlour and the council offices - all reported within less than 10 minutes of each other, just after 3am.

Howard Chadwick Funeral Service and the council offices are next to each other in the village of Crowmarsh Gifford and the funeral director suggested the blazes had been started deliberately.

Neil Cox, 73, told the Oxford Mail: "I live right next to the funeral home and at about 3.15am I heard a noise so I came out and saw a car drive away quickly, down into the council building.

"The offices of the funeral home were on fire, so I phoned the owner, Howard, called the fire service and we tried putting it out with fire extinguishers.

"My understanding is they broke the window in the front door, popped the cap off a gas canister and threw a match in there."

Mr Cox's son and co-owner of the funeral home, Alistair Cox, said: "I think it's a case of mistaken identity, they probably thought the home was a gatehouse to the council. I've got no idea why they set fire to the council building."

Another co-owner, Sandra Chadwick, told the Oxford Mail no funerals had been cancelled as a result of the fires and that none of the deceased bodies at the site been damaged.

David Etheridge, chief fire officer for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are in the process of dealing with three major fires in South Oxfordshire, which occurred within a very short timeframe.

"These are ongoing incidents and our firefighters are working hard to get the fires under control, with assistance from neighbouring fire and rescue services at the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council office fire.

"At this stage I am unable to state what the causes of the fires were - this matter is currently in the hands of Thames Valley Police, with whom we are working in conjunction."