FIVE people have been evacuated after a bus sheltering rough sleepers caught on fire. 

The Sussex Homeless Support Bus in Duke's Mound, Brighton, has suffered “horrendous damage” after it caught alight at about 8.30pm on Monday evening. 

The Argus:
Pictures from the scene reveal the damage to the bus (above)

Five men were on the bus when a locker on the top floor became engulfed in flames.

Wayne Holmes, who was on the bus at the time, attempted to tackle the blaze with a extinguisher before calling the fire brigade. 

He said: "I smelled the smoke, ran upstairs, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and squirted it.

"I realised it was an impossible job so ran back down and called the fire brigade.

The Argus:
Wayne Holmes attempted to tackle the fire himself (above)

"There were generators with fuel nearby outside so I moved them in case they went up."

It took two fire engines about an hour to put out the fire and give the all clear.

The fire completely destroyed the belongings of one man who lives on the bus. 

Although he did not want to give his name to The Argus, he said had lost all his clothes and ID in the blaze.

He added he would be searching the wreckage for a ring, given to him by his Nan, which was inside the locker.

The Argus:

Jim Deans, the man who runs the bus, says the fire was started by faulty electrics from the original lighting in the re-purposed vehicle. 

He said: “When someone called me and told me what was happening, I thought it was a joke. 

“We are all just shell shocked.” 

Mr Deans said no one has been injured in the fire and the five men were given shelter at his home that evening.

He added: "All of upstairs is trashed and it will take us months to repair.

The Argus:
Jim Deans says the bus needs to be gutted which will take months

"But none of the guys have complained - as these types of things are what they have to live through everyday."

Mr Deans said fire, smoke, and water used to put out the flames has caused “horrendous damage” on the bus.

A spokeswoman for East Sussex Fire and Rescue said the fire was caused by "combustible articles too close to heat source" - in this case, electric lighting. 

The Argus:
The orange bus is based in Duke's Mound

She added: "Firefighters used two breathing apparatus and one hose reel jet to tackle the fire. A Positive Pressure Fan was also used to clear smoke. 

"An investigation was carried out and the cause found to be accidental."