Dozens displaced after fire that killed pensioner

Forty-one people have been displaced by a fire that killed an Eastbourne pensioner.

Dozens of people remain unable to return to Farnol House on Upperton Road after the blaze, which broke out in the early hours of Sunday.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said building residents were safely evacuated after the fire and that the resident of the flat where the fire started, a man in his 70s, had died.

Stonewater Housing, which manages the building, said in a statement that teams had been working "round the clock" to support Farnol House residents into alternative accommodation.

A spokesperson said: "Around a quarter of residents are being looked after by family or friends, and the majority have been placed in local hotels while we assess their individual needs on a longer-term basis."

The housing association is providing or reimbursing meals, clothing and personal items, while its charity arm was offering people up to £500 of immediate financial help, they added.

Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde told BBC Radio Sussex on Wednesday morning that he had spoken to residents "still wearing the clothes that they evacuated the building in" and that "not every resident" has been provided with food vouchers.

The MP said he and local charities had set up an emergency hub for residents at the Salvation Army's citadel on Langney Road, which could provide clothing, toiletries, and hot meals.

He added that nobody was able to return to the building yet and there was "extensive" fire and water damage to the property.

Farnol House is a retirement living property comprised of 41 flats, according to the provider's website.

A Stonewater spokesperson said: "With the help of the Police, our teams have been able to retrieve essential medication and are in regular contact with customers to check on their general wellbeing.

"We recognise this has been a hugely distressing experience for people and that hotel rooms aren't 'home', but there is an acute shortage of accommodation in the local area and we are continuing to arrange further moves where necessary, and possible."

Eastbourne Borough Council said its housing officers remained "available to the Stonewater team as needed".

Sussex Police said a police presence would remain in the area as the cause of the fire was investigated.

"We must let the authorities do their job in conducting their full investigation which we are, of course, fully supportive of," Stonewater said.

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