Firefighters rescue man from burning Portslade flat

Four fire crews tackled a serious blaze in a block of flats in Portslade this morning (Monday 12 December).

They rescued a man who had been badly overcome by thick smoke in the living room of his top floor flat in Windlesham Close where the fire started.

The man was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for treatment.

Crews from Hove and Brighton were called to tackle the serious fire at 8.38am and spent more than four hours at the scene.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “The flat was left gutted by the fire, which had spread throughout.

“Residents in the block of flats were told to remain inside, keeping all doors shut, while firefighters tackled the blaze.

“No one else was injured and crews carried out a ‘quick strike’ following the incident, which involved posting home safety leaflets through letter boxes and chatting with neighbours to remind residents to fit a working smoke alarm in their home.”

An investigation is has started to try to determine the cause of the fire.