People are being asked to avoid Kemp Town this afternoon as fire crews battle a blaze there.
Smoke from the fire in Chesham Road at the corner of Chesham Street can be seen for miles along the seafront.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called out at 11.54am and sent nine fire appliances to the scene including three from West Sussex.
At lunchtime, Group Manager Katie Cornhill, the advanced incident commander, said that it was not possible to say for sure that everyone was accounted for. By 4.30pm, that had changed and all were accounted for.
The fire damaged at least three floors of a building with six storeys including the lower ground floor and penthouse level.
Group Manager Cornhill said: “The fire is believed to have started on the third floor and spread upwards.
“There is some water damage to the floor below despite our best efforts to prevent that from happening.
“We’re very grateful to our colleagues from West Sussex for their assistance and to our multi-agency partners who we’re working very closely with.”
They included Sussex Police, the South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb), gas and electrical engineers and building control officials from Brighton and Hove City Council.
She added that the cause of the blaze was not yet known but an investigation would take place, jointly with Sussex Police.
Regardless of the cause, she urged people to fit smoke alarms, to test them and not to leave cooking unattended because these were among the most common reasons for a fire starting in flats.
She also urged people living in older flats and shared houses in particular to be mindful of electrical safety and not to misuse appliances or overload sockets.
At 1.20pm, the fire service said in a statement: “East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called at 11.54am to reports of a fire at a six-storey residential property in Chesham Street, Brighton.
“The fire is currently affecting the fifth and sixth floors of the property. As of 1pm, there are nine fire appliances in attendance including the aerial ladder platform and support from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
“Please avoid the area as there is a large amount of traffic build up in the area and local residents are advised to please keep windows and doors closed due to the smoke.”
In an update, the fire service said that, as of 3pm, eight fire appliances remained at the scene.
The fire service added: “The fire is under control. However, crews are likely to remain on scene for some time, so please continue to avoid the area and local residents keep windows and doors closed.”
Later, the fire service said: “The fire is now out and, as of 4.30pm, we are due to scale back the incident to two appliances where crews will be monitoring and checking for any hot spots.
“All persons were accounted for, with no casualties reported. Residents had evacuated the building and one person, who was directly affected by the fire, self-rescued making their way to safety.
“A fire investigation as to the cause of the fire will take place in due course.”
