Firefighters from Bexhill and Hastings who went to Tobago, West Parade, at 9pm found that the woman, who lives alone, had already got out. Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus who fought their way into the smoke-filled flat found that an explosion had blown out a window. As a precaution, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service sent an aerial ladder to the seven-storey block and evacuated residents. However, fire crews had the blaze under control within an hour and residents were allowed back to their homes. The centenarian is being care for by friends.