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A MAJOR overnight fire involving multiple explosions has destroyed agricultural buildings in East Hoathly, with flames and loud blasts reported miles away across East Sussex.
Residents as far afield as Eastbourne said they could see the glow of the fire and hear repeated explosions as the blaze tore through barns in Ailies Lane late on Tuesday night (May 5).
Crews from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene at 11.54pm, initially sending four fire engines.
The scale of the incident quickly escalated, with six appliances in attendance by 12.26am after more than 60 emergency calls were received from members of the public reporting the inferno.
Firefighters deployed ground monitors to deliver high volumes of water as the fire spread through the agricultural site.
At 12.39pm, crews were ordered to withdraw to a 200-metre exclusion zone after cylinders on site began exploding, dramatically intensifying the risk posed by the blaze. An Incident Command Unit was brought in to manage operations.
By 2.45pm, fire crews confirmed that three barns had been extensively destroyed, with much of the damage caused by exploding cylinders inside the buildings.
The fire was left as a controlled burn, with one crew remaining on site overnight to monitor the situation from outside the safety perimeter. The response has been scaled back to four appliances.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and will be investigated once the site is accessible.
Residents in surrounding areas may continue to see smoke as crews manage the remaining hotspots.
