Firemen tackle blazing house

Firemen wearing breathing apparatus searched a blazing house at Heathfield on Tuesday evening fearing somebody might have been trapped inside.

The two-bedroom terraced house at 31 Ridgeway Close was left gutted but the single man who lived there was safe. He had been out at the time, according to a neighbour who raised the alarm after seeing flames leaping from the building.

Four fire engines, two from Heathfield, one from Uckfield and one from Burwash, were called to the scene at about 6.15pm. Ten sets of breathing apparatus were worn and a positive pressure ventilation fan was used to help clear smoke.

Station Officer Gary Adam from Uckfield said they also used thermal imaging cameras to check whether the fire was spreading to smoke logged neighbouring houses and take action to protect them.

He said there was a flashover of flame as a Heathfield crew entered the house but their training stood them in good stead and nobody was hurt. 'It was potentially a very dangerous situation,' said Station Officer Adam.

He said fire fighters were hindered in their work because the staircase in the burning building collapsed and damage overall was so severe it was difficult to tell how the fire had started. A police spokesman said it was 'accidental ignition'.

One of the neighbouring properties was unoccupied but residents on the other side went back in shortly afterwards, according to SO Adam.

A hand-raised pet squirrel died through smoke inhalation.