Residents evacuated following retirement block blaze

More than 30 people were evacuated from their homes after a fire broke out at a retirement block in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Around 50 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze at 10.25pm on Friday at Elm Tree Court, which is run by McCarthy & Stone.

A McCarthy & Stone spokesperson told CHP: “We can confirm that there was a fire at Elm Tree Court in Huntingdon on the evening of 22 June 2018.  The Fire Service and Police were called at 22.25 and the fire was put out by 01:41.

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“Our primary concern is the safety of our homeowners and we can confirm that no-one was injured and all residents were evacuated safety.

“Our senior management team will remain on-site all week providing all the necessary support for our homeowners, who are currently staying temporarily in local hotels, residential homes, or with family.

“There is fire damage on the third and fourth floors, along with water damage; however it is becoming increasingly clear that there has been no major damage to any of the homeowners’ apartments.

“We understand the fire started on a homeowner’s terrace near the communal areas on the upper floor of the four storey building and then spread to the roof.   We will continue to work with the Fire Service to determine the precise cause of the fire as their investigation continues this week.”

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: “Firefighters arrived to find a fire on top floor of a four story building, which had spread to the roof.

“All residents were safely evacuated with the assistance of police officers. Everyone was accounted for and there were no reported casualties.

“Wearing breathing apparatus the crews extinguished the fire using hose reels and jets and checked the rest of the building for hot spots.”