Police investigate blaze at Kent barracks housing asylum seekers as Priti Patel slams ‘appalling’ damage

Luke O'Reilly29 January 2021

Police have launched an investigation into a fire at a barracks in Kent housing asylum seekers — as Home Secretary Priti Patel slammed the ‘appalling’ damage.

Video footage from the scene at Napier barracks shows heavy smoke and flames on Friday afternoon amid the sound of alarms.

Eight fire engines have been sent to the scene along with police officers, the fire service confirmed.

Asylum seekers have been temporarily moved from the barracks, which was also recently the site of a major outbreak of coronavirus.

Napier Barracks incident
Asylum seekers were evacuated from the scene
PA

Home Secretary Priti Patel put out a statement condemning the fire as "deeply offensive to the taxpayers of this country".

“The damage and destruction at Napier barracks is not only appalling but deeply offensive to the taxpayers of this country who are providing this accommodation while asylum claims are being processed.”

Police say there have been no reported injuries and enquiries remain ongoing to determine the cause of the fire and establish whether any offences have been committed.

One Napier Barracks resident said that when the fire broke out he saw that one of the accommodation blocks was full of smoke with people inside.

He and some friends tried to get them out but firefighters arrived after around 15 minutes and helped rescue them.

Napier Barracks incident
The barracks has proven controversial
PA

In that time the blaze spread to another building, he said.

"Everyone is panicked," he said through a translator, adding that he fears something similar may happen again in future.

The blaze came on the same day residents were reportedly told by the Home Office that no more people would be moved from the controversial barracks.

"We [were told we] are going to stay at this camp until we have a decision about our [asylum] claims and we should be isolated for ten days in our rooms."

There have been reports of suicide attempts at the barracks and more than 18,000 people signed a petition to shut the site down amid concerns over conditions inside.

New police recruits
Priti Patel slammed the ‘appalling’ damage
PA

The asylum seeker, whose identity has been protected, said he came from a country where he was being persecuted by the Government.

Asked about what living at Napier Barracks has been like, the man added: "I have suffered here more than I have ever suffered on earth.

"Now I am suffering more than I was."

He said that the "only dream" for many of them was to "get out of Napier".

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "People living and working in the surrounding area are advised to close their windows and doors as a precaution, due to smoke coming from the incident."

The military site has been used to house about 400 asylum seekers since September last year, despite concerns over conditions.

Fears for their welfare escalated this week after 120 people are believed to have tested positive for coronavirus.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Priti Patel insisted the accommodation was of a "very strong" standard and "in line with PHE guidance".

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in