Family lose their home

Festive shopping in the town was brought to a standstill while more than 70 firefighters fought in vain to save the young family's flat in Fisher Street late on Saturday afternoon.

The blaze had been caused by a lighted novelty Christmas candle.

Fisher Street was closed to traffic, amid concerns over structural damage to the property, until Monday evening.

The alarm was raised at around 5.45pm on Saturday when passers-by saw flames coming from the first floor flat, above Stanley and Partners letting agents.

The family, believed to be a couple in their twenties with one small child, were not in the flat at the time. However, a dog belonging to the couple was rescued while the family's cat disappeared and has not been seen since.

The two-bedroom maisonette was almost totally destroyed, with only the kitchen remaining vaguely recognisable. All the couple's possessions were lost.

The family is now staying with friends.

Firefighters were praised for their quick action which prevented further damage to neighbouring properties.

Stanley and Partners suffered smoke and water damage and is expected to reopen in temporary offices in the High Street early next year. Meanwhile, all calls will be redirected to their Burgess Hill office.

CH Seymour's electrical shop suffered water damage but was open for business on Monday morning, while the restaurant Ask, which lost a quarter of its roof in the fire, was closed from 6pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday.

Busy

Area manager for Ask, Geoff Greenway, said: 'It would have been our busiest weekend of the year. But thank God the fire brigade got here as soon as they did as they caught the corner of our building just in time.'

A fire brigade spokesman said: 'The fire was caused by a novelty snowman candle in a foil holder, which was on a plastic surface.'

Bruce Hoad, director of community protection for East Sussex Fire Brigade, said: 'We would like to remind people that the instructions on candles should always be followed extremely carefully. This means putting them in a suitable candle holder on a heat-resistant surface, well away from anything they could set light to. It is also important to always extinguish any candles whenever you leave the room.'