Residents are being warned to close their windows as a fire rips through flats in Brighton this evening.
A taxi driver took this shocking footage of the building alight on Pankhurst Avenue tonight.
Flats on fire top of pankhurst ave #brighton pic.twitter.com/XtssH7rszX
— Brighton Cabbie (@BrightonCabbie) September 20, 2019
Ten fire engines are currently on the scene. The block has been evacuated and firefighters are searching the building, but it’s not yet known if all everyone is accounted for.
A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are currently on scene to a fire in a residential property on Pankhurst Avenue, Brighton. Firefighters from Brighton, Hove, Roedean, Lewes and Barcombe are on scene.
“We are advising all nearby residents to close windows and doors as a precaution.”
At midnight, Sussex Police said they were not looking for anyone who was not already accounted for.
If anyone can help the residents, donate here.
Power to the surrounding flats was cut at about 10.40pm as firefighters continued to tackle the blaze.
At 11pm, local sources said everyone had been accounted for, but the fire service was unable to confirm this.
A spokesman for UK Power Networks said: “UK Power Networks engineers were called to Pankhurst Avenue at about 10pm this evening following a fire.
“We have had to temporarily turn power off to around 160 customers so crews can work in safety.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this is causing but can reassure customers that we will turn their power back on as soon as possible.”
We are still tackling a large fire at a residential block of flats on Pankhurst Road, Brighton. We now have ten appliances in attendance. We are advising all nearby residents to close windows and doors. pic.twitter.com/9ZJVJHov5Y
— East Sussex FRS (@EastSussexFRS) September 20, 2019
Major flat fire latest video #Brighton @BrightonNewsJo @brightonargus @itvmeridian @bbcsoutheast @SussexIncidents pic.twitter.com/fGDtOHkA6R
— Oliver Button (@OBDroning) September 20, 2019
The blaze can be seen across central and eastern Brighton, from Presonville to Kemp Town.
More follows.
The donate link isn’t working.
Community volunteers coordinating donations through pankhurstavenue@gmail.com and facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/906108796432667/
A block just a couple of years old….where was the containment to prevent such widespread and FAST fire spread? The planning system is supposed to have input from the fire service at the public consultation stage and questions of both BHCC and the fire service are now necessary. This fire is a scandal as much as a tragedy. So upsetting.
The fire service are official consultees and I wonder how adequate their response to the planning application was. How cheap and nasty were the materials used in erecting these flats?
Fires in Clarendon & Ellen Estate flats over the years since it was built in the late 1960’s have always been entirely contained within source flats – including one in the last ten years at Conway Court when fire in a room stuffed with storaged items gutted that flat. The floor of the flat above got “hot” but fire never came through! THAT is how buildings SHOULD be protected!!!!!!!
Timber framed I expect.. should not be allowed this timber framed system in multi dwelling blocks.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/pankhurst-flats-fire-campaign?utm_source=facebook
Maybe we should wait for the experts’ report before speculating on how this happened.