The blaze started in the middle of the day with the fire brigade called at 12.37 with a report of smoke from the facility.
A statement from Viridor confirmed that the blaze was reported by an employee. A spokesman said: “The emergency services were immediately alerted, and all site staff followed our emergency procedures and evacuated the building quickly and safely.
“A full investigation into the cause of the fire is already underway, but we understand it started in a plastics storage bunker within the building.” 
In a message to reassure local residents, the company spokesman added: “We can confirm that the plant does not process any hazardous materials, so there is no risk to the environment or local community as a consequence of this incident.”
And, he said: “We would like to thank our staff and emergency services for their rapid response and assistance.”
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service told letsrecycle.com that they had left the plant as of Thursday evening but would be returning on Friday morning (May 28) to investigate the cause of the fire.
The Service said that the blaze was in a single storey building 100m x 40m involving the plastics recycling section.
Viridor is understood to have made alternative arrangements to handle recyclables in the interim while the plant is out of action and that services to residents will be unaffected. The materials will be taken to transfer stations in the county and transported to the company's Crayford plant in south east London for sorting.
Crawley
Almost two years ago Viridor suffered another fire at one of its facilities in West Sussex with a blaze at its Crawley recycling centre (see letsrecycle.com story). The building, famous for its sweeping roof, was successfully rebuilt.
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