Woman seriously injured jumping from Hastings house fire
A woman was seriously injured when she jumped from a burning building in the Sussex town of Hastings.
A number of people have been left homeless after the fire overnight in a row of terraced houses.
The blaze at the properties in Marine Parade in the Old Town, was reported at about 00:30 BST.
Six properties were evacuated by East Sussex Fire and Rescue services, with about 35 people having to be escorted from the buildings.
Police said the woman, in her 60s, fell about 12m (40ft) and suffered spinal, pelvic and ankle injuries.
She was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and is also receiving treatment for the effects of breathing in smoke.
A man was also taken for treatment at the Conquest Hospital on Hastings.
Kevin Boorman, from Hastings Borough Council, said: "There are six properties that stand in a terrace. Five of them are very severely damaged and you can see that the roofs of them have gone.
"The one at the end has not been so badly damaged."
He said the owner had spent several months using scaffolding to help paint the outside of his home which had allowed firefighters to get onto the structure in an attempt to put out the fire.
Those evacuated were initially taken to the Boat House on Hastings seafront and then transferred to the East Hastings Sea Angling Association.
Hastings Borough Council said those affected will be re-homed.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.