Copthorne: Firefighters tackle large blaze at leisure centre
- Published
The roof of the leisure centre near Crawley is severely damaged
Firefighters have been tackling a large blaze at a leisure centre in West Sussex.
The roof of Acorns Health and Leisure in Copthorne Road, Copthorne, has been severely damaged.
A total of 100 firefighters and 14 fire engines were deployed from both East and West Sussex and Surrey after reports of the fire came in at 07:20 BST on Sunday.
There were no reported casualties. The road was closed in both directions.
A West Sussex Fire and Rescue spokesperson said they had made "steady progress" in putting out the fire.
Dave Bray, area manager, said it was a "significant incident".
He said: "Initial investigations suggest the fire hasn't started from the weather. It appears to have started within the building."
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Peter Joad lives one road away from the leisure centre.
He said: "It's very concerning, especially with the woods being so close. It's only going to take a spark and it will turn into a major situation."
Nicola Flint said she uses the centre every week.
She said: "We're such a big community and it's just really sad that we won't be able to go up there and have our usual Friday nights. It's really upsetting."
Resident Lauren Beale added: "It's horrific. It's really quite sad."
A statement from the leisure centre said: "Sadly our beloved Acorns Health & Leisure Club is on fire and clearly won't be operational in the short term.
"We will update you more as soon as we can."
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, external, on Twitter, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.