Firefighters were called to a block of flats last night after a blaze broke out inside a bin store.

Crew members rushed to The Hive in Northfleet at 8.25pm to find the fire was already out after a sprinkler system was activated.

Four fire engines and a height vehicle attended.

A high pressure fan was then used to clear the building of smoke.

It was not the first time the emergency crews have been called to the estate.

Three months earlier teams were called to the site eight times in the space of a week following suspected arson attacks.

Residents spoke out about a series of fires in the block’s bin chute and hoax calls when the alarm had been set off without good cause.

Ian Mercer, who lives on the seventh floor, said at the time life on the estate was an ongoing nightmare.

“My girlfriend used to live in Australia and worked doing first aid during wildfires,” he said. “She said she felt safer watching wildfires than she did here."

Kirsty Gearey, spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the bin fire is being treated as suspicious.

Police have been contacted for comment.

For more news on fires in the county, click here.

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