UPDATE: Titnore Lane to be closed all day after blaze

Fire crews received multiple 999 calls to reports of trees and a woodland on fire at Titnore Lane at 8.58pm last night (Sunday, February 26), a spokesman said.

On arrival, crews were faced with a well-developed blaze involving large industrial units, hedging and cylinders, confirmed the spokesman.

As a result, firefighters were withdrawn to a safe distance to extinguish the fire using compressed air foam systems, jets and hose reels.

Roy Barraclough, station manager who was incident commander on scene, said: “This has been a challenging incident with a variety of factors making the operation somewhat complex.

“Our crews have been working tirelessly throughout the night, ensuring that the area is contained and that damage is kept to a minimum.

“Titnore Lane is an extremely busy main road and we would like to say a huge thank you to the general public for cooperating with us in a time of significant disruption.”

Crews from Worthing, East Preston and Littlehampton were sent to tackle the blaze, alongside specialist appliances.

Units remained on the scene this morning, dampening down and looking for hot spots.

The road is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day (26 February) while an investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

The road closure in place is partially due to the risks of ice following the water run off, according to West Sussex County Council.

There were no reports of any injuries in the fire.