Kent Fire and Rescue Service has scaled down its attendance at a fire in a block of flats in Margate.

At the height of the blaze, around 70 firefighters, 10 appliances and two height vehicles tackled the blaze at Hawley Square after being called to the four storey building at 00.43am.

Crews tackled the fire which had developed on the third and fourth floors before spreading into the roof space and to an adjacent building. Initial reports that people were trapped in the building have been proved unfounded and no-one was injured during the blaze.

The Officer-in-Charge ,Station Manager Andrew McPherson, said: “It was well alight when the first crew from Margate arrived after just a few minutes and it was a difficult job because the roof had collapsed so it wasn’t safe to fight from within.

“The building itself is severely damaged but the crews have done an excellent job of stopping the spread to an adjacent building and fortunately no-one was hurt.”

Two appliances and a height vehicle remain at the scene this morning damping down and an investigation will be carried out to establish the cause.

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