Brighton Hotel fire: Woman describes fleeing Old Steine with cat

Angie Lee had already faced a stressful few days after one of her eight-month-old kittens fell from a window at her home and needed to go to the vets.

Now, after escaping her Old Steine flat last weekend, she has had to re-locate with her other kitten who suffered smoke inhalation.

Angie, 61, said: “This week has been an absolute nightmare. I live just a few doors down and there was no fresh air inside or outside.

Angie Lee in front of the Royal Albion hotel (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

“My kitten Mia was gasping for breath. I’m lucky to have rescued her, if I hadn’t gone home in that moment then she would have died.

“I’m hoping I can get back to get it clean, I want to go back but my kitten needs a sterile environment to go back to.”

Angie said she had been unable to go back to her property until very recently and that when she entered her flat it was covered in soot and smoke damage.

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With her kitten, Harrie, still recovering from falling from the window, he needs a sterile environment to recover.

Angie says she has been staying in a single room at a friend’s house but has been “lucky” to have somewhere where she can stay.

She also said she was “overwhelmed” by the kindness of strangers who have reached out to her to offer her their homes.

The Royal Albion hotel went up in flames on the afternoon of Saturday, June 15, and the fire burned its way through four floors of the west wing.

Kittens Harrie and Mia (Image: Angie Lee)

Demolition has now begun on the façade of the hotel which will be broken down so investigations can continue.

Angie has been well known in Brighton after setting up the “Brighton and Hove Fabulous Ladies Aged 40+” Facebook group which was set up after lockdown to support women.

The page currently has over 1,000 members.

A GoFundMe has now been launched by a friend of Angie to help cover the costs of looking after her cats, which total up to over £7,000.