Hastings major fire update: Cause of blaze revealed

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said crews were first called to Waterworks Road just before 12.40pm.

A spokesperson said firefighters from Hastings, Bexhill, Rye and Eastbourne attended the scene of the blaze, which broke out in an industrial building.

Eight fire engines, plus the aerial ladder platform, were used to put out the fire.

ESFRS said firefighters started to scale down the incident to three fire engines from around 4.20pm yesterday.

Residents were urged to keep windows and doors closed due to the ongoing smoke throughout the evening and were advised to avoid the area.

Today (Friday, August 11), a spokesperson for ESFRS said: “The site has been handed back to the owners this morning after an inspection for hot spots at around 7.30am. We are treating the fire as accidental.”