Six fire crews tackle 12th floor blaze in Brighton

A man from Brighton was treated in hospital after a fire broke out in his 12th floor flat in Kemp Town.

Six crews were sent to tackle the blaze at St James’s House in High Street at about 4.15pm on Saturday afternoon (15 December).

They spent more than two and a half hours dealing with the blaze which the occupant thought that he had put out.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “The service’s high rise procedures were immediately put in place.”

This involved six fire appliances, including one from Shoreham in West Sussex, an aerial ladder platform and a control unit attending the incident.

Watch Commander Spencer Bartley said: “A fire was reported on the 12th floor but when we arrived we could not see any external visible signs of fire.

“However, the resident of the flat, where the fire originated, approached us on the ground floor and we immediately had him seen to by paramedics.

“The fire alarm system was activated on the affected floor, which gave the other residents notice that there was a fire and they self-evacuated.

“They were all out apart from one disabled person who we deemed safe to stay inside the flat.

“Firefighters proceeded to tackle the fire, which the occupant believed he had put out, wearing breathing apparatus and with three main jets working off the building’s dry rising main.

“Tackling fires in high rise buildings are often arduous for the crews and require a lot of resources.

“This incident was on the 12th floor and did require a lot of initial effort to deal with safely and effectively.

“However, this incident highlights the importance of never tackling a fire yourself.

“In the event of a chip pan fire always turn the heat off, if safe to do so, shut the door behind you, get out of the property immediately and call the fire service out.

“On this occasion the occupant mistakenly believed he had successfully put the fire out and had to be taken to hospital where he was treated.”

The kitchen was badly damaged by fire and the rest of the flat heavily smokelogged.

A search was carried out of the occupant’s flat and three other flats that share the same common lobby.

The fire service said that everyone was accounted for and the cause of the fire was being put down as accidental.