‘Arson’ fire in St Leonards high-rise block

A fire broke out in a high-rise block of flats in St Leonards yesterday (Tuesday, April 26).
By Richard Gladstone
Published 27th Apr 2022, 12:09 BST
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East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said the incident happened just after 9.05am at Roosevelt Court, Stonehouse Drive.

A spokesman said the fire in a bin chute was being treated as arson.

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A similar fire took place on April 16 in a bin chute in the same building.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews were sent to the scene yesterday (April 26)East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews were sent to the scene yesterday (April 26)
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews were sent to the scene yesterday (April 26)

A woman was later arrested and released on police bail, pending further enquiries, police said at the time.

The ESFRS spokesman said: “At 9.07am on April 26, we were called to attend Roosevelt Court, Stonehouse Drive, St Leonards following reports of a fire in the bin chute.

“Crews from Hastings, The Ridge, Battle, Bexhill and Pevensey attended. This is standard procedure/call out for high rise call-outs.

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“We used one hose reel to extinguish the fire in the bin chute. The cause of the fire was deemed deliberate and the incident has been handed over to Sussex Police to investigate.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said a police investigation was started following yesterday’s incident and enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with any information can contact police online, or via 101, quoting serial 317 of 26/04,” the spokesman added.

The high-rise block is managed by housing association Optivo.

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An Optivo spokesman said: “The safety of our residents at Roosevelt Court is our number one priority.

“We have robust procedures and comprehensive controls in place regarding fire safety which we review and test on a regular basis. We want to ensure all of our buildings continually meet the highest fire safety standards.

“We carried out a new Fire Risk Assessment at Roosevelt Court last month and are working through any outstanding issues with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS).

“Our scheme manager remains in close contact with residents and we’ve put in additional security measures at the building. We’ll continue to work with our partners at ESFRS and Sussex Police following recent incidents and will assist them where we can.”

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