Alderney house fire leaves one in hospital

Thursday 04 April 2019

A woman is being treated in hospital after being rescued from a burning building in Alderney.

The building which caught fire last night is behind the Harbour Lights Hotel, the woman was in a flat and eye witnesses on the scene said a wood burning stove may have started the fire.

The Alderney Fire Brigade, which is crewed by trained volunteers, was called to the fire at 01:20 today. Initially they were told it was a structure fire, but before they got to the scene they were told that one person had been reported missing and that smoke and flames were clearly visible from the building.

There had been two people inside the property when the fire broke out - one had escaped and was found outside, they told the firefighters that the other person was still inside.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus went into the burning building and rescued the woman, who was then taken to the Mignot Memorial Hospital for treatment to smoke inhalation. She has since been taken to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey for treatment. 

The fire was out and the volunteer crew were back at the fire station by 03:45.

An investigation has now been launched to find the cause of the fire.