UPDATE: House fire in Kingsmere

Three crews from Eastbourne and Pevensey were sent to a residential property on Edmund Close, near Sovereign Harbour, following reports of smoke seen from a window. A quick-thinking neighbour called 999 after noticing the fire and managed to isolate the gas supply to the property. Following a fire investigation, the cause was found to be an electrical fault.

Eastbourne commander Pup Upton said, “The residents were incredibly lucky as they did not have a working smoke alarm and if this had happened in the middle of the night and they were asleep the outcome could have been very different. Thankfully, a neighbour intervened and contacted us, so we were able to respond quickly and prevent the fire from spreading throughout the house. Unfortunately, a hard-wired smoke alarm had been taken down because there had been a water leak but had not been reinstalled. This clearly highlights the importance that a working smoke alarm can’t be underestimated.”

“Thankfully, a neighbour intervened and contacted us, so we were able to respond quickly and prevent the fire from spreading throughout the house. Unfortunately, a hard-wired smoke alarm had been taken down because there had been a water leak but had not been reinstalled. This clearly highlights the importance that a working smoke alarm can’t be underestimated.

“We would like others to learn from this unfortunate incident and that the key safety message is to ensure you have working smoke alarms and to test them regularly - if there are any defects get them fixed immediately.

“This afternoon crews have been carrying out a quick-strike and chatting with neighbours to offer relevant safety advice. However, if any Eastbourne residents are concerned about fire safety in their home then firefighters will be on-hand at a Community Safety Event at Langney Shopping Centre Tuesday April 17 10am-2pm.

“Please come and talk to us, we are here to help,” said the Eastbourne fire chief.

Photos by Dan Jessup.