Firefighters spend seven hours at the scene of fire coming from a manhole on Brighton seafront road

Nearby buildings were evacuated and a rest centre was set up at the Brighton Centre by the city council.
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A fire coming from a manhole on Kings Road, near West Street, Brighton, led to building evacuations and road closures last night (Tuesday, January 25).

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it was called at 6pm to the fire and work was carried out to isolate utilities as gas was continuing to burn. No injuries were reported but nearby buildings were evacuated and a cordon was put in place.

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The fire service, Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove City Council staff remained on the scene supporting residents, directing traffic and in contact with utility providers.

Kings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manholeKings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manhole
Kings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manhole

A council spokesman said it had quickly established a rest centre nearby at the Brighton Centre where support was provided to the evacuated people.

The fire service handed the scene over to Sussex Police just after 1am this morning (January 26).

A fire service spokesman added: "The cause hasn't been confirmed however it's being treated an electrical fire.

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"We would like to thank everyone for their patience and our partners, including Sussex Police, the local authority and power companies for working alongside us."

Kings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manholeKings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manhole
Kings Road near West Street was closed last night after a fire in a manhole

One lane of Kings Road remained closed today (Wednesday).