Witnesses heard sirens and rushed out to see an old college campus 'engulfed in flames' as a raging fire ripped through the site. Others feared for the safety of their animals and were quick to shut windows as the fire took hold of the former Nottingham College campus in Farnborough Road.
Eight fire engines were called out to the scene at 7.44pm on Thursday (April 14). Smoke could be seen billowing into the sky - and Farnborough Road remains closed as scaled-down crews continue to tackle the incident.
Neighbour Emma Hextall said her cat and dog were keen to have a nosey. She heard a siren and saw a building "engulfed in flames". The full-time mum, who is 30, said: "I’ve just found it interesting and our cat and dog have been having a look, too.
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"Our daughter has only just got back to sleep with all the sirens and lights. Just after seven, I heard a siren and went out to see what it was. It was proper going when I had a look, it was just orange. The bottom floor was engulfed in flames."
She added: "It’s not near us luckily and around it is just fields." Firefighters asked people to keep windows and doors closed and to avoid the area where possible.
Delivery driver Sarah Hughes said the fire had sent out thick plumes of smoke and that she was concerned for her animals. The 34-year-old said: "It was a little bit unsettling, the kids had been sent home from cadets.
"We're glad we got our animals in before it happened. You’d hope there was no one in there when it went up. It was black with smoke - we shut all windows. We're glad our daughter is not looking because it all would have frightened her."
In the most recent update, firefighters said the incident was being scaled down. "Crews will be monitoring the scene overnight, and a joint investigation will begin tomorrow (Friday, April 15). Thank you to local residents for your understanding this evening," Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Twitter on Thursday evening.
There have been no reports of any injuries and a cause is yet to be determined. Plans have recently been given the go-ahead to redevelop the old campus into flats.
Under a redevelopment plan, which came to light before the fire, permission had been granted to redevelop the site into a set of apartment blocks. It was hoped that parts of the campus would be partially demolished to be redeveloped into the new headquarters for Nottingham Community Housing Association (NCHA).
They proposed a new two-storey building incorporating some of the college buildings to be used as offices, a call centre, a maintenance depot and a café. Housing association officials also unveiled a plan for a three-storey building to house 50 independent living apartments and another two-storey building providing 14 supported living apartments and six bungalows.
Officials from the community housing association, who own the site, released a statement and said they would be working closely with the authorities in due course. They said: "We’re aware of the fire at our site in Clifton, Nottingham, and we’ll be working with authorities over the coming days to understand more about the situation.
"Thanks to the police and fire services for their swift response." Farnborough Road was cordoned off by the police.
