Fire at old mill in East Hill, Ashford

Firefighters put out a fire in an abandoned nightclub, the second in less than eighteen months in this abandoned place.

Nine engines were called to the incident, which began when a tree caught fire and spread outside a former mill in East Hill, Ashford.

Using main jets and a supplemental water supply from fire hydrants as well as a vehicle height, they extinguished the flames.

No injuries have been reported and the cause is not yet known.

The site has since fallen into a more serious state of neglect and has faced multiple attacks of vandalism and trespassing over the years.

Last September, crews were called to a fire inside the former Liquid nightclub and in May 2023, thugs destroyed the bridge at the site, leaving the owners, Oliver Davis Homes, with no other choice than to close it.

After Ashford School sold the site to the developer in 2021, Oliver Davis submitted an application for it to be converted into 53 apartments. However, in December it was confirmed that these plans had been abandoned as the developer received more interest from commercial tenants than residential ones.