Firefighters are treating a luxury care home blaze as accidental after flames affected solar panels on the roof.

Flames singed the roof of the Dean Wood Care Home in Woodingdean yesterday. The emergency services acted quickly to stop the blaze from spreading across the building.

The care home has now confirmed that all residents had returned to the home after an evacuation.

An ESFRS spokeswoman said: “We were called at 3.18pm on August 30, 2023, to reports of a fire at a property on Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton.

“There were five fire engines with crews from Roedean, Preston Circus, Hove and Lewes in attendance, along with an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Control Unit.

“Crews dealt with the incident quickly and as of 4.09pm the fire had been extinguished.

“Crews reported the fire was affecting solar panels on the roof of a nursing home. A full evacuation was completed and there were no reports of casualties.”

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Neighbours reported seeing thick black smoke and flames coming from the roof of the Bupa care home with elderly residents being evacuated in wheelchairs.

Aerial photos of the blaze show damage to a section of the roof, however the blaze appears to have been contained.

Responding to the fire, care home bosses thanked staff for their quick response and confirmed that a full evacuation had taken place.

Danni Davies, managing director for Dean Wood care home said: "Thanks to the swift action of our care home team who followed our fire procedures calmly and efficiently, all our residents and staff were evacuated safely while the fire brigade attended.

“The fire was quickly put out and once safe, our staff helped all residents to return to the home. The safety of everyone in our home is our highest priority and we are very proud of how quickly our team acted."

The care home was voted as one of the top 100 luxury care homes in 2021, with interactive pet therapy and exercise classes on offer to residents.