Burgess Hill: Fire crews tackle blaze at industrial unit

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Fire in Burgess HillImage source, Eddie Mitchell
Image caption,

Fire crews are tackling a fire at an industrial unit in Burgess Hill

Fire crews are tackling a blaze at an industrial unit in West Sussex.

Large plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing over the unit in Consort Way, Burgess Hill, after the fire started at about 15:00 BST.

Residents were urged to avoid the area to allow firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

The warehouse is used to stock hair and beauty products, including supplies of flammable products such as hairspray.

Josh Morris, who works at Capital Hair and Beauty, was sitting in the warehouse's canteen when the lights went off and the fire alarm started.

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Staff looked up to see the building was on fire and the site was quickly evacuated, he said.

"It literally took about a minute for it to really just go ablaze everywhere and then everything started exploding.

"There was black, thick smoke everywhere. It's exploding - the lot," Mr Morris said.

Richard Abbott, area manager at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said a number of neighbouring buildings were evacuated and everyone had been accounted for.

"We are still dealing with a significant fire and we are advising residents and members of the public to avoid the area," he added.

Image source, Eddie Mitchell
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The cause of the fire is not yet known

He said ten fire engines had been sent to the scene from across East and West Sussex.

Crews will remain at the scene overnight and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

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