One casualty after St Leonards basement flat fire

Two East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service crews from Bohemia Road and The Ridge were called to A259 Marina near Azur St Leonards at around 7.35pm.

Crews used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet and compressed air foam to extinguish the fire.

The man was transferred into the care of South East Coast Ambulance Service suffering from smoke inhalation.

A bypasser, Chay Cusack, helped save one of the residents who was standing in the flat with the fire behind him.

“I came back from the Tandoori Ghor to the Queen Victoria hotel and I saw smoke billowing out of the basement flat of the building,” he said.

“I saw a guy trying to get people out of the flats above and thought, ‘someone’s sorting it out’.

“But then I looked into the basement flat and there was a guy standing there calling for me to help him get out.

“So I grabbed him and pulled him out of the flat but it was a bit weird as he was wearing no trousers.”

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