Arson investigation after seven people including children and rabbit rescued from Bognor flat fire
A fire which saw seven people including children and animals rescued from a fire in a block of flats in Bognor Regis in West Sussex, is being treated as arson.
Firefighters and police were called to the College Court flats Northcliffe Road in the early hours of this morning (Thursday 2 February).
Crews rescued residents from three floors of the building - including a pet rabbit. Five other people managed to rescue themselves along with their three dogs. No-one was injured.
The residents were all taken to Butlins holiday park in Upper bognor Road.
This footage shows the damage caused by the fire.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "The cause of the fire is being treated as arson with intent to endanger life and an investigation is underway to establish the exact circumstances of what happened.
"Forensics investigators have been deployed to the scene and officers are continuing to conduct house-to-house enquiries at this time.
"Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area around that time, or anyone who captured what happened on CCTV, mobile or doorbell footage, is urged to report it online or via 101, quoting serial 157 of 02/02."
A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Spokesperson said: “At 4.35am this morning (Thursday, 2 February) we were called to reports that multiple people were trapped in flats which were on fire in Northcliffe Road, Bognor Regis.
"Three crews attended and firefighters rescued two women and a pet rabbit from a first-floor flat using a ladder, and from a second flat, a family of four including three children were also rescued by ladder.
"Another woman was rescued from a third ground-floor flat through a window. Five adults also managed to self-rescue from a fourth flat, along with their three dogs. The South East Coast Ambulance Service attended and paramedics medically assessed 11 people as a precaution. The fire was extinguished and fire investigations will continue today.”