West Sussex recycling centre blaze: Public warned about smoke days after incident

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.

In an update at 11am today, the fire service said one appliance remained at Grevatts Lane – three days after the fire.

“We have one fire engine at the scene today,” a social media statement read.

"There is still a lot of smoke in the area so please continue to keep windows and doors closed if you live nearby.”

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

A spokesperson said: “The risk from the smoke plume remains low, but there are steps that people can take to mitigate the impact of smoke.

“West Sussex County Council’s public health team have issued guidance for residents living near the scene outlining some steps that they can take.

“West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service remains at the scene of the fire and is working with the site representative as well as The Environment Agency who are providing specialist information, advice and guidance to ensure the fire is extinguished safely while mitigating the impact on the surrounding environment.”

Following advice from the waste fires tactical advisor, a joint decision between WSFRS and key partners – including The Environment Agency –has been taken to ‘allow the fire to continue to burn under control’, rather than to ‘apply copious amounts of water’.

The spokesperson added: “Limited amounts of water will continue to be applied to target the hotspots. Consideration to the water run-off is key to the decision making between the respective agencies as the water run-off may cause extensive pollution to the surrounding environment and nearby water courses.

“This is a complex and protracted incident, but the situation will continue to be monitored over the coming days. WSFRS will continue to risk assess the situation to ensure the impact on residents and the surrounding environment is minimised.”

People living nearby are reminded to keep their windows and doors closed to ‘mitigate the impact of the smoke plume’.

The county council’s public health team has also issued some extra precautions that residents can take:

– Any smoke can be an irritant and as such, if you need to be outdoors, you are advised to avoid outside areas affected by any smoke or ash, or to limit the time that you spend in them;

– If driving through smoke, keep your windows and vents closed;

– Some of the substances present in smoke may irritate the lining of the nose, throat and lungs, the skin and the eyes;

– Symptoms may include coughing and wheezing, sore throat, feeling short of breath, runny nose or eyes or chest pain;

– In general, exposure to smoke is more likely to affect people who have existing breathing problems, lung or heart conditions;

– The very young and very old, smokers and people with flu or flu-like illnesses may also be at greater risk after exposure to smoke;

– People who are generally fit and well are unlikely to experience long-term health problems from temporary exposure to smoke;

– People with asthma who may be in the vicinity of the fire should carry their inhaler;

– If symptoms persist seek medical advice by calling NHS 111 or by contacting your General Practitioner (GP);

– If a medical consultant is already treating an existing health condition, discuss your concerns and symptoms with them;

– Businesses should consider turning off ventilation systems to reduce the potential spread of smoke through buildings;

– In the case of an emergency call 999.

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’.