Shop fire believed to be caused by phone battery
The fire was in a retail unit on West Street, which backs onto Swan Walk
At a glance
A shop fire near Swan Walk, Horsham, is believed to have been caused by a phone battery
Four fire engines arrived and crews used breathing apparatus to extinguish the blaze
The station manager advised using recommended charging devices for mobile phones
- Published
A shop fire in Horsham was caused by a phone battery, West Sussex Fire and Rescue believe.
Four fire engines were called to the blaze near Swan Walk on Wednesday evening.
Teams using breathing apparatus successfully extinguished "quite a severe fire", station manager Alistair Green told BBC Radio Sussex.
He said he suspected the fire originated from a lithium-ion battery in a smart phone.
"Crews worked very hard in the initial stages of the fire" and there were no casualties, Mr Green said.
It was located in a store room in the rear of property and produced "lots of heat", he said.
While Mr Green "didn't want to panic people", he advised using charging devices from the supplier for mobile phones.
"I wouldn't recommend you leave them unattended whilst on charge," he added.
The station manager also urged people to use working smoke alarms to ensure that in the case of a fire, there would be enough time to alert emergency services and get out of the building.
The fire was in a phone shop
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