West Sussex recycling centre blaze: 'Extra precautions have now been put in place'

The A259 was closed on Friday (August 30) after a fire broke out in Climping but the road has since reopened.

Dramatic video footage showed fire crews attempting to tackle the raging flames and large amount of smoke on Friday. Fortunately, there were no injuries and everyone was accounted for.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service’s previous statement stated that one large building full of recycling and plant machinery was fully involved in the fire.

The latest update on Tuesday (September 4) read: “We are still at the scene and anticipate that we will be for a number of days.

“Extra precautions have now been put in place to mitigate the impact of water run-off, which will allow us to use more water to extinguish the fire.

“There will be an increased FRS presence at the scene today as this work gets underway.

“People living nearby might see an increase in the amount of smoke in the area while the fire is being extinguished.

“We would urge people living nearby to continue to keep their doors and windows closed for the time being.”

The fire service issued guidance to people living near the waste services site.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 1.12pm on Tuesday, the fire service said ‘extra precautions’ had been put in place to mitigate the impact of water run-off, and residents living nearby might see an increase in the amount of smoke in the area while the fire is being extinguished.

The fire service said it will ‘continue to work with partner agencies’ to ensure there is ‘no further risk from the fire’.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will begin ‘when it is safe to do so’.