Fire crews work to stop spread of barn fire

Crews are working to stop the spread of the barn fire

Firefighters have told residents to remain alert as they attend a barn fire for a second day.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said people living near the fire in Charlwood should still keep windows and doors shut.

The service was called to the "significant" fire in Norwood Hill Road at about 00:35 BST on Thursday.

A spokesperson said crews would work through Friday morning to stop the spread of the fire.

They added: "We’re still advising nearby residents to avoid the area and keep windows and doors shut.

"Thank you to everyone in the area for their ongoing patience.”

The service said the fire was in a 40m by 30m (131ft by 98ft) commercial storage unit and that everyone was accounted for.

Surrey Fire and Rescue station commander Kim West told BBC Radio Surrey the material that was burning was composite decking, which was plastic-based and waterproof.

Firefighters were called to the scene on Thursday morning

He said the direction of the smoke coming off the building at the moment was not affecting nearby Gatwick Airport, although this was being monitored.

He added: "Fire investigation did come out during the early hours of the incident, and they're continuing with their investigation to find out exactly how it started.

"But we're not sure [how it started] at this present time."

A water issue affecting residents' supply was resolved on Thursday.

Sutton and East Surrey Water said bottled water had been delivered to vulnerable customers, and a tanker was deployed to support properties with livestock.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the supplier said on Thursday afternoon: "We’re sorry again for the inconvenience this incident has caused and thank you for your patience while we worked with Surrey Fire & Rescue to restore the water supplies."