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A flat fire which took place in the early hours of the morning today (February 2) could have been caused by an arsonist, a Sussex Police spokesperson has said.

They added that officers have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the blaze, which saw multiple people trapped in the College Court Flats on Northcliffe Road at around 4.36am this morning.

The occupants of all the affected properties were safely evacuated to nearby Butlin’s and no injuries have been reported, although a spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue said 11 people were assessed as a precautionary measure.They added that teams were called to the residential fire at 4.35am after being told that ‘multiple people’ were trapped in the building.

"Three crews attended and firefighters rescued two women and a pet rabbit from a first-floor flat using a ladder, and from a second flat, a family of four including three children were also rescued by ladder,” they said. “Another woman was rescued through a window of a third ground-floor flat. Five adults also managed to self-rescue from a fourth flat with their three dogs.”

A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Spokesperson said: “At 4.35am this morning (Thursday, 2 February) we were called to reports that multiple people were trapped in flats which were on fire in Northcliffe Road, Bognor Regis. Three crews attended and firefighters rescued two women and a pet rabbit from a first-floor flat using a ladder, and from a second flat, a family of four including three children were also rescued by ladder. Another woman was rescued from a third ground-floor flat through a window. Five adults also managed to self-rescue from a fourth flat, along with their three dogs. The South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and paramedics medically assessed 11 people as a precaution.The fire was extinguished and fire investigations will continue today.” 2-2-23

The fire has since been extinguished and emergency services remain at the scene. Forensic investigators have since been deployed to the scene and officers are conducting house-to-house enquiries in order to establish the exact circumstances of what happened.

Residents of Northcliffe road have praised the emergency services for their rapid response. “I saw all the fire engines police turn up last night, you could see them coming down the road,” said Samantha Nye. “They were straight on it, really quick. They did really well last night.”

Miss Nye lives near the College Court flats and watched the drama unfold after the commotion woke her and her partner up.

"We could see two people outside, shouting for help,” she said. “And then someone else came out and said ‘you need to get out. Everyone needs to get out.’ You could see people running up and down the street – it was quite scary, to be honest.

"And the flames were huge. Really bad. We’ve never had anything like this happen around here, especially not in the flats. It’s scary because you know how many people live in them. That was four different sets of people who had to get out.”

Bognor Regis flat fire: blaze which trapped 'multiple people' to be investigated as arson

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‘Multiple people trapped’ in flats on fire in Bognor Regis