At 4:24pm yesterday, a fire broke out in the scrapyard in Chartwell Road.

LBP are pleased to report the fire is completely out and access has been restored to all areas of the park.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) are still on site this morning, so please drive slowly around Chartwell Road to help keep them safe whilst they continue to monitor the scrapyard to prevent further fire. 

LBP doesn't even know where to start with the thanks we need to give to all the emergency services who started flooding onto the park at 4:33pm yesterday. As well as the businesses who immediately called 999, supported the emergency services and even provided hot drinks and facilities as the officers braved a difficult fire in horrendous weather.

Let’s start with most important update! One member of staff was unfortunately hurt in the fire and South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) were quickly on site to help minimise his injuries and transport him to Worthing Hospital for treatment. LBP is very pleased to report that although he did suffer 8% burns, he is doing very well and by 9:30pm he was in good spirits when visited by his colleagues. Thank you to Secamb and the NHS for helping to keep him safe and providing the pain relief needed to put a smile back on his face. LBP wishes him a very speedy and full recovery.

Next, we need to congratulate the other staff on site when the fire first started, as their well-rehearsed fire procedure enabled immediate and skilful reactions. The action of this close nit team really helped to minimise injury and contain the fire, rather than spreading to the full site before the emergency services could reach them. LBP saw exhausted blackened faces focussing on their colleague and providing every bit of information possible to support the emergency services. Fire prevention work and practised fire procedures really make the difference and this was evident yesterday.

Now let’s talk about the amazing response from all the surrounding businesses. WSFRS received more than fifty 999 calls, every one of these calls was as important as the others. Thank you everyone and please never stop immediately dialling 999, if you see smoke on the park. Your call could make all the difference in alerting the emergency services and speeding up the response. LBP was on the A27 when the phone started to ring and ring and ring, before it was safe to pull over. Thank you everyone as this enabled LBP to quickly return to the park to assist. We apologise for the calls we were unable to take whilst dealing with this incident, as there was a lot to co-ordinate to help keep everyone safe and moving.

We would like to thank Shoreham Vehicle Auctions who without question supported the closure of Chartwell Road, by throwing traffic cones into their van and immediately delivering the cones to the entrance of Chartwell Road. This action assisted Sussex Police in enforcing the essential cordon to help keep everyone safe. We would also like to thank J&H Automotive who happily dropped everything to offer assistance to LBP.

Biffa and Bidfood kicked straight into action providing site access for the emergency vehicles, facilities for the officers and essential hot drinks to keep them going whilst it poured down all evening. The professional emergency response and caring demonstrated by both these businesses is to be highly commended and for which LBP is very grateful. Biffa remained on site until the response was scaled down late into the evening, when they were supposed to leave around the time the fire started. Bidfood operates 24/7 and they did everything possible to divert vehicles and keep the road clear for the emergency services, with staff evacuated and waiting patiently outside the cordon, until it was safe to return to site and start their night shift. Bidfood worked with LBP to minimise movements and LBP would like to thank their truck drivers for driving at a snails pace when marshalled out of their site, as this ensured the emergency services were not put at risk.

You may have seen a photo on social media of dogs being escorted to safety at the beginning of the evening. The dogs were never at risk, but it broke LBP’s heart to see the concerned owners unable to access site to pick up their beloved pets. This is one of the many thanks LBP would like to give to WSFRS. When LBP explained the plan to escort the eleven dogs to their cherished carer, so she could drive them away to meet up with their owners, WSFRS didn’t hesitate. They immediately assessed the plan, gained approval and provided two officers to help walk the dogs safely out. All credit needs to be given to dog walkers, as it’s not easy walking three/four dogs each. They were lovely dogs though, especially one who LBP would happily have slipped into the wrong car, as who would have thought that many dogs wouldn’t hesitate in all jumping in the back of one car. All it took was seeing their cherished carer and they all did as they were told.

LBP would like to thank to Sussex Police who remained on the park until gone 10pm, when it was finally safe to reopen Chartwell Road. They had a difficult job in the rain, keeping everyone at a safe distance from the fire, as the nature of scrapyard fires are prone to unexpected explosions and distance is the key here.

We leave our biggest thanks to WSFRS, whose exemplary work ensured the fire was contained within just two metal structures, preventing damage to all of the adjoining sites. This required fire trucks from multiple fire stations across West Sussex, a lifting platform, additional water supply and incredible skills and hard work. Two crews even stayed all night to ensure the fire did not reignite and they will continue to monitor until there is no longer any chance of further fire.

We are so lucky on LBP to have the support of our emergency services, as they always do us proud. Thank you everyone!