Emmerdale - Rakesh Kotecha ruthlessly sets fire to Mill Cottage.

Rakesh decides that a risky arson plan is the answer to his latest problems.

A dramatic new storyline on the ITV soap will see the disgraced lawyer hit with more bad news, as he learns that Mill Cottage is a write-off due to a serious dry rot problem.

All of Rakesh's money is now tied up with the property as he's recently decided to have it converted into flats. Quickly realising that he is facing financial ruin, Rakesh decides to set fire to the cottage in a reckless insurance scam.

After spraying graffiti and smashing the place up to cover his own tracks, Rakesh pours white spirits around the building before striking a match and rushing out.

As the flames begin to spread, though, what Rakesh doesn't realise is that Mill Cottage's former resident Nicola King is hiding upstairs.

Nicola has sneaked in to retrieve a bag of sex toys after getting passionate with her husband Jimmy in the empty building the night before.

Once Rakesh has gone, Nicola is left to face the flames all by herself but disaster strikes when a box of white spirits explodes, bringing down scaffolding and knocking her out. 

As Nicola screams for help, she catches the attention of Ronnie Hale and Dan Spencer, who both hurry to the burning building and make their way inside. But will everyone make it out unscathed?

Pasha Bocarie, who plays Rakesh, revealed: "Rakesh starts the fire because all of the money that he has poured into Mill Cottage is about to go down the drain. Ronnie tells him that the building is infested with dry rot, which means it's absolutely worthless and he's lost all of his money. Ronnie is refusing to do any work there because it's too dangerous. Starting the fire is literally the only way out for Rakesh. He's got nothing left. He hasn't got a job, so it's probably the last resort for him to recover some money and stay afloat. Rakesh reads something in the insurance form which says that if there's a fire, he'll get a certain amount of money. That amount would actually cover Rakesh for the dry rot and also enable him to get the money to the people he owes in the village."

Discussing the jaw-dropping moment that Rakesh unknowingly leaves Nicola in the burning building, Bocarie added: "Rakesh is not assuming anybody will be there, because it's supposed to be an empty building. Rakesh doesn't just torch the place, he absolutely demolishes it. That's why it's such a shock when he later sees Nicola pulled out on a stretcher. He's in disbelief because he realises there are more people inside the building. Rakesh feels really guilty afterwards. At this moment in time, he realises what he's done and money doesn't really compare to that. I think that becomes really apparent to him."

Nicola turns out to be one of the villagers most affected by the terrifying ordeal, as she struggles to move her right arm or leg while recovering in hospital in the aftermath.

The doctors tell Nicola that she'll have to undergo tests to determine whether there's any permanent damage, leaving fans on tenterhooks to discover her fate.

Promising big things from the high-stakes storyline, Bocarie added: "It's by far the most incredible thing I've done. The best way to describe this storyline is 'explosive' and everybody was so excited about it.  Everyone had a chance to do something different and up their game. Really it was like being on a feature film. I've never seen anything like it. There was a massive explosion and you'll see the place being absolutely demolished by myself in a very fast and explosive action sequence. I think you're going to be on the edge of your seats."

Airs Tuesday, June 28th