THIS was the scene of total destruction yesterday after ten flats and five shops were destroyed by a serious fire.

Ten fire engines and two aerial platform ladders were called to Rectory Road, Worthing, at 6.38pm on Monday.

Eighteen flats had to be evacuated.

The blaze, which is not being treated as suspicious, left 16 people homeless. They sought refuge at the Thomas a Becket pub opposite while watching their properties being destroyed by the inferno. At one stage a burning section of the flat roof above Gurkha’s Tandoori collapsed into the street.

Sussex Police closed off the road and traffic was diverted.

Fifty firefighters battled the blaze overnight to dampen down the hot spots.

As owners of the flats took refuge at the pub on the other aside of the road, customers were evacuated to the back garden due to the smoke.

Rectory Road remained shut yesterday.

Shops in Rectory Road were also closed as fire officers carried out inspections.

Worthing fire station manager Roy Barraclough said the fire was one of the most serious he had dealt with.

A West Sussex Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said: “The fire in Rectory Road, Worthing, was out and fire officers carried out a final check of the properties.

“Our priority is to help businesses affected return to normal and to work with residents from the building. Structural engineers assessed the building.”

Adur and Worthing Councils is offering assistance to those affected by the blaze. A spokesman said: “Following the fire in Rectory Road, Worthing, on Monday, we are aware of 16 people who have been displaced from their homes and a number of others who are also affected.

“If you own your accommodation, you may also want to contact your building insurers. If you are renting your accommodation, we suggest that you also notify your landlord of your current situation.

“The council will try and provide affected residents with emergency accommodation. We cannot guarantee that emergency accommodation will be within Worthing. Contact 01903 239999 for help.”

Other business owners along Littlehampton Road said they were relieved their shops were not affected by the blaze.

Matt Copp, manager of Becket Motors, said: “I had to rush back to check the shop on Monday night as someone called me about the fire. Luckily, the fire did not spread to the shops in this road. I stayed for about half an hour.

“I really feel for the people who live in those flats. I hope something is sorted out for them soon.”

Jim Johnston, owner of audio visual equipment shop Bower and Wilkins, said: “The shops here are very fortunate as we are right at the other end of the damaged shops.

“I saw pictures and videos of the fire on social media and I went back to check on my shop.

“I stayed until 9.30pm, just to make sure my shop wasn’t damaged. Because there were so many fire engines and firefighters, you just never know if the flames could spread to other places.

“When a fire happens it isn’t just the fire that could damage the property.

“It could be water and smoke that wrecks the property.

“I know the owner of the Gurkha Tandoori restaurant lives in the flat above his shop.

“I can’t imagine what he is going through right now. Losing everything like clothes, pictures or any valuable items.

“The man has lost his shop and flat in just one night. His restaurant was quite successful too.

“Several years ago the owner renovated the restaurant. It must be devastating for him and his family to go through all this.

“I hope they have a safety net they can turn to now.

“When I came to work yesterday morning I was relieved that police didn’t need to close off my shop. I saw fire officers inspecting the chimneys of the flats.

“Although we were not directly affected, we have to make sure we let customers know we are still open otherwise we lose business.”

Lucy Rudland, manager of Martin’s convenience store said: “It was very sad to hear about the fire.

“It’s horrifying to know that you could just lose so much in a short amount of time.

“I didn’t see the fire. I closed early on Monday morning because it was the bank holiday.

“But when I came to work in the morning, the air still smelled of smoke and fire engines were still there. I hope the families can pull through.”

The devastating blaze has brought the community spirit of Worthing to the fore.

Residents came together to help the families whose homes were destroyed.

Stacey Croft, 25, landlady of the Thomas a Becket pub, has been working with the Red Cross to help those affected by the fire.

Ms Croft and her staff members worked tirelessly to support everyone, providing drinks and keeping people calm. She also made an appeal on Facebook for donations and the pub was swiftly inundated with donations.

She said: “We would like to thank everyone for their kind words about the devastating fire that happened opposite us on Monday night.

“All staff members were busy helping out the residents who were affected by the fire. Everyone was OK but were totally gutted by what happened.

“At about 7.30pm, we were told by the authorities we had to evacuate our customers due to the smoke.

“We moved about 30 people to the back of the garden. Some customers were able to leave immediately, but some had to stay back as they could not access their cars due to the road closure.

“People left the pub at 12.30am yesterday morning as they managed to find somewhere to sleep. I’m not entirely sure how many families were affected by the fire.

“We cooked meals for about 50 firefighters on Monday night.

“We worked with Red Cross to ask people to donate essentials such as clothes and toiletries.

“We contacted Asda and Tesco, and they responded very quickly.

“They been very generous as they donated school uniforms to the children.

“Our pub was packed with donations. We had so many offers from residents when we launched our appeal on Facebook.

“We received so many donations we had to ask people to stop for now.

“We will be working with the Red Cross to raise money. If you would like to help, please head to our Facebook page for more updates.

“Many thanks to the whole community, it’s great to see everyone pulling together.

“Our pub is open again.”

Daniel Jones, senior emergency officer for the British Red Cross, said: “A team of three British Red Cross volunteers and one staff member were deployed yesterday morning to Rectory Road to offer practical and emotional support to anyone affected by last night’s fire. We’re there to offer support to people dealing with the aftermath of the fire, and providing practical advice and basic supplies where we can.”