SQUATTERS from the Occupy Homeless Sanctuary were evacuated after a fire yesterday morning.

The blaze took hold at the coal yard in Ashley Road, Boscombe shortly before 8am.

Police say there are no suspicious circumstances.

A spokesperson from Dorset Police said: "We were called just before 8am by the fire service.

"The fire was not malicious and it has now been extinguished

"It was a large fire and there was concern for those staying at the site."

However, no one was injured, she said.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said two crews were called to the scene at around 7.50am.

“We extinguished a single-storey structure that was on fire,” they said.

The crews have now left the scene.

The fire destroyed a store room and kitchen area. No tents were burned.

One woman who visited the site said she was "shocked" by the extent of the fire, which has resulted in all cooking facilities being damaged beyond repair.

"It's absolutely soul-destroying," she said.

The owners of the site, Brightmark Ltd, have been granted an eviction notice. The sanctuary moved onto the area in early January.

It was previously based on privately-owned land opposite the BIC in Exeter Road.