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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Firefighters tackle large blaze at city centre site | Firefighters tackle large blaze at city centre site |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Those living nearby were urged to keep their windows and doors shut | Those living nearby were urged to keep their windows and doors shut |
| Fire crews are still in Canterbury city centre more than nine hours after a large blaze broke out at a former Debenhams store. | Fire crews are still in Canterbury city centre more than nine hours after a large blaze broke out at a former Debenhams store. |
| Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) said eight engines and a height vehicle were sent to the empty property in Guildhall Street shortly after 20:30 GMT on Monday. | |
| About 30 people were evacuated from nine nearby flats and 50 firefighters were in attendance at the peak of the incident. | |
| At 06:00 on Tuesday, eight fire engines and two height vehicles were still at the scene, which has been cordoned off. | At 06:00 on Tuesday, eight fire engines and two height vehicles were still at the scene, which has been cordoned off. |
| A total of 50 firefighters helped tackle the blaze | |
| At 09:30, KFRS said the fire was under control but one person had been passed into the care of South East Coast Ambulance Service due to smoke inhalation. | |
| The cause of the fire is still unknown, Kent Police added. | |
| Resident Snow Shang said being evacuated with her nine-year-old son was "really scary". | |
| Canterbury City Council had set up a welfare centre on Monday night, which was later stood down, to help those who had been evacuated. | |
| "Our teams worked hard to support those that could arrange a place to stay for themselves and found overnight accommodation for those that could not," a council spokesperson added. | |
| About 30 people were evacuated from nearby flats | |
| Kai Valentine, who works for a nearby insurance company, said he was unable to get into work because of the fire and only found out about the blaze once he arrived. | Kai Valentine, who works for a nearby insurance company, said he was unable to get into work because of the fire and only found out about the blaze once he arrived. |
| "[With] the cost of living at the moment, [and] everything else, hopefully small businesses don't get affected too drastically," he said. | "[With] the cost of living at the moment, [and] everything else, hopefully small businesses don't get affected too drastically," he said. |
| Mr Valentine also said he was finding it hard to breathe in some areas near the fire. | |
| Those living nearby are still being urged by the fire service to keep their windows and doors shut due to the large amount of smoke in the area. | Those living nearby are still being urged by the fire service to keep their windows and doors shut due to the large amount of smoke in the area. |
| Neil Griffiths, assistant director of response at KFRS, said: "[What] we are more worried about, once we got the people out of the buildings, is about protecting the city of Canterbury from the fire spread." | Neil Griffiths, assistant director of response at KFRS, said: "[What] we are more worried about, once we got the people out of the buildings, is about protecting the city of Canterbury from the fire spread." |
| He said one of the service's priorities was to deal with the incident as quickly as possible to limit the disruption in the town. | |
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