A SQUASH court went up in flames when a burning extractor fan fell down onto the court.
Firefighters from Preston Circus Community Fire Station were called to the University of Sussex's sports centre in Falmer at about 9.30pm yesterday.
The large extractor fan - used to ventilate the players - had caught on fire due to an electrical fault before the flames caused it to fall onto the court.
As it landed, it ignited the wooden court, causing a lot of smoke damage, and the building had to be evacuated.
A university spokeswoman said: “Our staff were made aware of a potential fault to an extractor fan and we quickly took action to turn off equipment and evacuate the building.
“We are now looking into the cause of the extractor fire.
“We apologise to users of the Sports Centre for any inconvenience. Those who had booked to use the courts have been contacted. The rest of the Sport Centre is operating as normal.”
There were no injuries reported and the crew left the scene at 10.30pm.
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