DOZENS of students had to be evacuated from a high rise apartment block in Southampton after a fire broke out on the 15th floor.
Firefighters from St Mary's station were called to tackle the blaze in communal lounge at the 522-room Mercury Point block in Duke Street.
Students on the 15th floor, the floor above and four below were evacuated from the building. They were let back in after firefighters cleared the floor of smoke with high powered fans.
The cause of the fire is being investigated but it is believed to have started by a fault strip light that melted onto a carpet.
Watch manager Nigel Mottashed said smoke alarms gave early warning of the fire and allowed students to evacuate safely.
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