Blaze rips through former nursing home

The fire at the former Southlands Court nursing home in Hastings Road caused what a fire and rescue service spokeswoman described as “significant damage” and led to the road being closed to traffic while it was brought under control.

At the height of the blaze, which broke out shortly after 2am and resulted in a dozen 999 calls being made to fire service controllers, six fire crews were sent to the scene, with Bexhill’s firefighters supported by colleagues from Hastings, Battle and Pevensey.

Together they spent more than three hours tackling the burning building, which once accommodated 35 residents in 23 single and seven shared rooms.

No one was injured, and crews continued to damp down burning embers throughout Monday morning.

Detectives attended and are now making enquiries about the cause of the blaze.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously and free of charge on 0800 555 111.