Residents ‘devastated’ after flat blaze in King's Lynn
Homes were left charred with “significant” damage following a serious blaze in North Lynn on Saturday.
Fire crews were on scene at the St Edmundsbury Road flats for four hours, although the blaze, which started at about 3pm, was under control an hour later.
Residents whose Freebridge Community Housing-owned homes are now inhabitable have been provided with temporary accommodation, with offers of help from the local community.
Lynn fire station manager Clive Wells, who was the officer in charge, said:”It was a very serious fire, residents were just devastated that it had happened.”
Mr Wells said four properties had been damaged by the blaze, with “significant losses” to two of them. A car was also gutted by the flames.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, but the fire service is treating it as an accident, he added.
Mr Wells said at the incident’s peak, five fire crews were on scene.
He said no one was injured in the blaze, and a number of animals in the properties were saved as well.
The station manager has urged residents to keep their homes as free of fire hazards as possible.
“People should be mindful not to store too much waste,” he said.
A post on the King’s Lynn Police Twitter account on Saturday said: “Assisted Norfolk Fire and Rescue this afternoon when a ground floor flat caught fire causing damage to three other flats.
“Freebridge officials quickly on scene to help the displaced family #teamwork.”
A spokesman for Freebridge said an employee who lived nearby was on hand and assisted those affected.
He added that, where needed, tenants have been provided with temporary accommodation.
Birgit Lenton, director of corporate services and culture at Freebridge, said: “We are in close contact with those affected by the fire on St Edmundsbury Road and will continue to support them in any way we can.
“In the meantime, we are working alongside the fire service while they conduct their investigations into what happened.”
Since the incident, members of the community have come together to help the families affected by the incident.
A post on the Facebook group ‘Free to a good home Norfolk’ has seen numerous offers of household items.
