Chichester business 'very grateful' for firefighters' fast response to industrial site blaze

Multiple fire crews were called out just after 8.15pm to Jewson's 'well alight' Stane Street branch and the fire service asked residents to avoid the area and keep their doors and windows shut. Read more hereRichard Halderthay, a spokesman for Jewson, said: “We can confirm there was a fire at our Stane Street branch last night.

"We are very grateful indeed for the response and efforts of the firefighters who reacted so quickly and dealt with the incident — we are working with the emergency services to support their investigations.

"Fortunately, no one was hurt as the branch was closed when the fire started.

"For the time being, the branch is closed while we assess the damage caused last night but we continue to serve customers from our Terminus Way branch while we work to get the Stane Street branch back up-and-running as quickly as possible.”

The fire service said drones were in operation at the site to give crews 'a better idea of the extent of the incident'. Click here to see video footage of the blaze and here to see the aftermath.

A spokesman said the fire was at the ground floor of a single storey building used as a warehouse. It also involved external goods.

In its latest update this morning (Wednesday), a West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Two crews from Chichester and two from Bognor Regis were initially mobilised to the scene, followed by the Incident Command Unit from Haywards Heath. Joint Fire Control further mobilised retained crews from Arundel and East Preston to the incident.

“The road was closed from the Chichester Bypass roundabout to the entrance to the Household Waste Recycling Site to allow crews to tackle the fire safely.

“Firefighters used four main jets, two hose reels, two hydrants and compressed air foam to bring the fire under control. They also used four sets of breathing apparatus.

“Crews remained at the scene for a number of hours damping down and turning over, using a thermal imaging camera to identify any remaining hotspots, with the last crew leaving the scene at around 1am.

“Officers have returned to the scene this morning to carry out a re-inspection.”

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