Residents were evacuated from their homes after fire broke out at a block of flats.

Firefighters were called to Merrimede Close in Hastings at 6.15pm last night after fire broke out in a top floor flat.

Two residents suffering from smoke inhalation were treated with oxygen at the scene while crews using breathing apparatus, a hose reel and foam tackled the blaze and remained on scene for almost three hours.

An East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the building had been partially evacuated and that damage to the flat was likely to be “extensive”.