A second fire in less than a month has broken out at a controversial homeless hostel.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Richmond Court, Boughton, at 2.36am today (Monday, May 18), as another blaze was being extinguished at nearby Huntington.

Food left in a cooker set alight, requiring two crews from Chester Fire Station to attend. Firefighters used a large fan to extract smoke from the property.

One man suffered smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene. However, North West Ambulance Service, who were called at 3.09am, confirmed nobody was taken to hospital.

Sarah McGrady, of Foundation Enterprises North West (FENW), which provides the service for Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), said there was a ’very small fire’, ‘nobody was harmed’ and there was ‘no damage’ to the property. The premises were evacuated in line with usual health and safety procedures.

She was not prepared to comment on the fact this was the second blaze in a matter of weeks.

The previous fire was extinguished on the evening of Friday, April 24, after a fire in a first floor bedroom at the 36-bed hostel, which was described as ‘well alight’. Everyone had been evacuated by the time crews arrived including the male resident whose room was on fire.

Four firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two hose-reels to extinguish the blaze which caused significant damage to the individual room but the rest of the hostel remained habitable.

Homeless accommodation used to be provided at Stoak Lodge in Ellesmere Port and at Roodee House, Grosvenor Street, in Chester city centre. CWaC’s decision to transfer the service from the city centre into the residential community of Boughton proved controversial. Emergency services have been called there on a number of occasions.

Roodee House, previously owned by Muir Housing, is currently being converted into luxury apartments.