Burgess Hill: Firefighters stood down after industrial unit blaze

Aerial photos at the scene show the extent of the damage

Firefighters have left the scene of 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 on Monday.

Local residents were urged to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed at all times.

An investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said.

"We have now left the scene," a spokesman said.

A prevention and protection team will visit nearby businesses and properties in the coming days to provide fire safety guidance, he added.

The warehouse was used by Capital Hair and Beauty to stock hair and beauty products, including supplies of flammable products such as hairspray.

The company's sales and marketing director, Dave Harrison, said the site had suffered significant structural damage.

"Naturally, the safety of our colleagues at the warehouse was, and continues to be, our main priority, and we want to praise them for their fast response when the fire broke out," he said.

"This, combined with the health and safety protocols we have in place, led to no-one being injured, with everyone being evacuated from the site quickly and safely."

The cause of the fire is not yet known

Incident commander Richard Munday previously said the building had been damaged "pretty significantly structurally" but surrounding buildings were largely undamaged.

"Hopefully, the impact to the local community business-wise will be fairly insignificant," he added.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

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