Flats blaze death: man bailed

The woman, who lived at the address in Sackville Road, has now been named as 42-year-old Deborah Reynolds.

Police were called to the blaze by the fire service at 12.23am on Monday (May 23). The woman was discovered inside the flat and rescued by firefighters, but was declared dead shortly after 1am. A 40-year-old local man, who managed to escape the fire, was taken to the Conquest Hospital at Hastings for treatment for smoke inhalation. He was later released and taken into custody at Eastbourne at 12.38pm the same day.

The suspect was bailed until Tuesday July 19.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick May, who is leading the enquiry for Sussex Police Major Crime Branch, said: “The cause of the fire is still being investigated. There was significant fire and smoke damage throughout the flat and we are not currently in a position to conclusively state how and where the fire broke out.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Kingshill.

• For the full story, see Friday’s Bexhill Observer.