Residents were required to leave their flats in the early hours of the morning, as fire crews dealt with a blaze in an underground car park in Nottingham.
On 29 April 2024, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) responded to reports of a fire in the underground car park of the Litmus Building in Nottingham, which led to a “partial evacuation” of the residential block.
As reported by BBC News, two vehicles were involved in the blaze, which occurred on the second level of the basement car park, with fire officer Tom Staples adding that the vehicles had been “well alight”.
In an update shared on X (formerly Twitter), NFRS said: “We currently have a number of crews in attendance at a fire on Huntingdon Street, Nottingham.”
A spokesperson for NFRS added: “We got called at 3.27am. At the height of the incident, we had about eight appliances plus the aerial ladder platform from London Road."
Residents told local media of “a lot of” smoke coming from the basement car park. While there were no reported injuries, locals were urged to avoid the area as crews tackled the fire, with Nottinghamshire Police also cordoning off some roads surrounding the building.
According to Nottinghamshire Live, a number of residents were able to take shelter in the nearby Salvation Army and at a Nottingham Trent University library.
By 7am, firefighters had extinguished the fire and were working alongside police officers to “reassure residents and get them back into the building safely”. NFRS added that they would remain at the scene for “some time”.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is expected to take place.
(Photograph by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service)