Several occupants tried to escape but they were forced back by smoke which had entered the stairwell of the property in St Peter.
In a statement, the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘Two fire engines were mobilised from St Helier HQ with the duty watch, with a further fire engine of on-call firefighters responding from the Western Fire Station.
‘En route to the incident, information was received that some residents were trying to evacuate. However due to smoke travelling into the building’s stairwell they were unable to escape. Following receipt of this information combined control advised residents to stay within their flats.
‘On arrival smoke was seen coming from the ground floor and immediately two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the bin store with a high pressure hose-reel and rapidly extinguishing the fire.
‘Following this the firefighters in breathing apparatus proceeded to open windows within the stairwell, allowing the smoke to escape with the assistance of a ventilation fan.’
