This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/sussex/7249135.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Crews tackle washed-up wood fire Crews tackle washed-up wood fire
(about 1 hour later)
Firefighters have managed to contain a large fire in wood that was washed ashore on a West Sussex beach. Firefighters tackling a large fire in wood that was washed ashore on a West Sussex beach.
Some 40 firefighters were tackling the blaze at Worthing among timber from a cargo spillage in the English Channel. Nearly 50 firefighters were called to the blaze at Worthing which is believed to have been started on purpose.
There had been fears the fire would spread through the timber and threaten nearby beach huts. There were fears the fire would spread to nearby wood piles and beach huts but crews were aided by an offshore breeze.
But earlier measures by the council to break the timber into smaller piles means the fire was contained to a single wood pile. The fire was contained to a 30m by 10m pile of timber, part of a cargo washed ashore from the Ice Prince ship that sunk in the English Channel in January.
Gary Towson, from West Sussex Fire Service, told the BBC: "The council at a very early stage - when they were rescuing it [the timber] from the beach - broke it up into smaller piles just to prevent, you know, one huge bonfire on Worthing seafront. Crews used seven firefighting jets to douse the flames and were helped by a contractor using a mechanical digger to break up the wood pile.
"But it does appear unfortunately that there's one pile well alight, but they've managed to stop it spreading to all the others." It has tied up our resources for several hours when they could have been needed elsewhere Dave HowellsWest Sussex Fire Service
Beaches along the Sussex coast from Ferring to Hastings were littered with 2,000 tonnes of timber when the Ice Prince ship sank off Dorset in January. Incident commander Dave Howells, from West Sussex Fire Service, condemned those responsible for the arson attack.
He said the fire meant crews from outside the area had to be drafted in to deal with a house blaze in Worthing.
"Although this might be seen as just a large bonfire on a beach, it has tied up our resources for several hours when they could have been needed elsewhere for a more life-threatening emergency."
The pile is expected to continue burning into later in the morning.
Gary Towson, of West Sussex Fire Service, told the BBC the efforts of firefighters had also been helped because the washed-up timber had been split into separate piles.
"The council at a very early stage - when they were rescuing it [the timber] from the beach - broke it up into smaller piles just to prevent, you know, one huge bonfire on Worthing seafront."
Beaches along the Sussex coast from Ferring to Hastings were littered with 2,000 tonnes of timber when the Ice Prince sank off Dorset in January.
Worthing was the worst affected, with wood covering large areas of the beach.Worthing was the worst affected, with wood covering large areas of the beach.