A student lost all his belongings and college work when fire tore through his home last night.

Firefighters believe a log fell from an open fire and set fire to carpets and furniture at his ground-floor flat in Egremont Place, Brighton.

A smoke alarm was triggered and the student alerted a female neighbour in a top-floor flat.

Both students, in their early 20s, fled to safety as fire crews arrived just after midnight.

Flames travelled up a staircase and filled the end-of-terrace building with smoke.

The ground-floor flat was badly damaged and firefighters spent more than two hours at the scene.