Sandiacre medics forced out of home as fire rages through old mill

Two doctors and a nurse were among residents forced out of their homes after a fire raged through an old mill.

Firefighters are damping down hot spots at the former lace factory Springfield Mill, in Sandiacre, Derbyshire, after the fire began on Tuesday afternoon.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said no-one was hurt in the fire in the property, housing more than 100 flats.

Tom Crabtree, a doctor at the Royal Derby Hospital, said he feared he and his partner may have lost everything.

Dr Crabtree, who lives in the Grade II-listed four-storey building with his partner - who is a paediatric doctor in Lincoln - said: "It looks as if it started in the roof... of our block."

He said he was feeling "numb" and "broken".

"I don't know how else to feel. We don't know if we are going to be allowed in to recover anything left", he added.

"We are completely shaken by it and thankful it wasn't worse and no-one got hurt."

Dr Crabtree said he had been meant to be working a night shift on Tuesday and was napping on the sofa when he was woken by "people in the car park shouting, 'get out'".

He added: "One of the residents had gone round and banged on all the doors in the block.

"None of us heard the fire alarm go off."

Meg Cook, an intensive care nurse at the Queen's Medical Centre, in Nottingham, who lives in the building, was also woken up by shouting.

She said: "I came outside in my slippers and saw the building was on fire. There was a lot of smoke coming from the roof."

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called to the fire at about 16:20 BST on Tuesday, and had saved at least three-quarters of the building, which dates back to 1888 and is listed by Historic England as being of special architectural interest.

A spokeswoman said firefighters were still "damping down hot spots that continue to burn in the roof space and between the third and fourth floor of the building".

An investigation into the cause of the blaze has begun. The fire service said some people may be able to return home to properties that have not been damaged.

However, they do not know how soon this will be, and it will only be allowed when power and emergency has been restored and they are satisfied it is safe to return.

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