In the early hours of the morning a fire broke out on the University of Kent Campus, in Parkwood’s Purchas Court.
The fire is thought to have started around 3am on Tuesday morning, when it was first noticed by the residents of 29 Purchas Court. Student Ely La Rue recalls the first anomaly in the house, the sound of the extractor fan behaving out of order. When her housemate went to the toilet shortly after, part of the ceiling had caved in and collapsed into the bathroom.
The housemates attempted to douse the fire with a fire extinguisher. “There was just smoke everywhere”, Ely La Rue told InQuire this morning. The fire alarm had been sounding, prompting all the inhabitants to evacuate and wait for the fire department.
CANTERBURY: Over 40 students were evacuated at the UKC campus whe two accommodation blocks caught fire around 3.45am pic.twitter.com/fig8fn8E7R
— Kent 999s (@Kent_999s) January 28, 2024
Part of the roof has caved in due to fire damage, the blaze had furthermore spread to one neighbouring flat’s roof. The fire was fully contained upon the fire department’s arrival, and students of affected flats were able to evacuate in due time, resulting in no reported injuries. However, smoke damage and water damage has been reported in a few flats, and the housemates were moved out of accommodation this morning.