West Sussex blaze: Firefighters to remain at waste site 'for a number of days'

The A259 remains closed between Flansham and Climping after a fire broke out a rubbish tip in Climping at 10.20am today (Friday, August 30).

Dramatic video footage showed fire crews attempting to tackle the raging flames and large amount of smoke. Fortunately there are no injuries and everyone is accounted for, the fire service confirmed.

Group manager Steve Buchanan-Lee, the level three silver commander for the fire service, provided a video update.

He said crews from Worthing, Bognor and Littlehampton initially attended the ‘fully developed fire’ at 10am.

He explained: “The crews quickly identified the whole building was involved. We now have ten appliances at the scene, with two aerial ladder platforms and two water carriers.

"The crews have worked really hard to work out the extent of the fire and surround it to the point we are now happy to reduce our resources.

"We have contained the fire and are working with specialist partners to ensure the fire is fully extinguished and dealt with properly.

“We have a specialist hazardous materials environmental protection advisor from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service with us and a tactical advisor for waste and recycling centres from the National Chiefs Council.

"We would like to thank those people for their expertise and support and especially all the teams for their hard work this morning. We will continue to deal with it for the next few days.”

Mr Buchanan-Lee said the A259 - the A-road which passes the entrance to the site – remains closed.

He added: “We are working with the police to reopen this sometime in the near future. We will provide updates on this as soon as we can.

"The smoke plume is still present. Whilst it is not very high and not very dense, we must still advise people if they can see or smell it, please stay indoors, close your windows and doors and keep out the way of the fire.”

The fire chief reminded members of the public that they must make sure all lithium batteries are disposed of correctly and all items of waste and recycling are ‘put in the correct bins so they can be sorted properly’.

He continued: “We will be here for a number of days. We are now working on a specialist tactical plan to ensure those firefighters are rested accordingly and our resources are returned to the rest of the county as required.”

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service’s latest statement, at 4.40pm, stated that firefighters are ‘still dealing with the significant fire at a waste services site’.

“However, the number of resources we have at the site has been scaled back,” the statement read.

"One large building full of recycling and plant machinery was fully involved in the fire. Fire crews have now surrounded the fire and contained it to one location.

“Firefighters will remain at the scene overnight and into the weekend.

"The smoke plume is now dissipating, but if residents can see or smell smoke, they must stay inside and keep their doors and windows shut.

"The A259 at Grevatts Lane remains closed at this time, so please avoid the area and use alternative routes. Residents can be assured that we are working hard to re-open this major A-road, and this remains a priority for our teams dealing with the incident.

"The cause of the fire will be investigated when it is safe to do so."