A TOTAL of 1,500 people have been evacuated from Drusillas Zoo Park after a major fire broke out in the fields nearby.

Six fire engines were called to the scene just before 3pm to battle the field fire at Berwick Court Farm, near the Drusilla's roundabout on the A27.

Almost 60 acres of barley, straw, wheat and a £60,000 tractor have been destroyed.

The Argus:

Four Land Rovers, one water bowser and a support command unit are also present.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service have warned drivers to avoid the A27.

Read more: Drusillas Park named best family attraction

A spokeswoman for Drusilla’s Park Zoo said: “We safely evacuated 1,500 people from our premises.

“We are very glad no one was hurt and the animals are fine. We had to evacuate the meerkats as we thought they would be in danger, but luckily they are safe.

“Our premises is not damaged.

“Our staff members have helped the fire service and the police with their efforts to battle the blaze. The fire is still going but the smoke has gone down a lot. There’s still some smouldering.”

The nearby English Wine Centre in Berwick said the fire did not affect the business.

Staff there said visitors to Drusillas were coming into the store’s car park to be picked up after the park was evacuated.

One worker said: “We had some refugees from Drusillas, and customers might have thought we were closed. Luckily though we have been unscathed.

“It was just about far enough away for us not to be affected by the fire, but we did see the smoke.”

Peter Brown, owner of the Cricketers Arms in The Village, Polegate, had a lucky escape as the wind blew the fire to the opposite direction.

He said: “We saw the fire, it happened just before 3pm.

“Luckily we were not affected as we are a quarter of a mile away from the field. The wind blew the fire and smoke to the opposite direction from us. It was in a field that’s just been harvested.

“We also saw a burnt out tractor and there was a lot of smoke from the field.

“I’m pleased to hear no one was hurt. The fire fighters came very quickly otherwise it could’ve been a lot worse.”

By 7pm, the fire brigade reported that its effort had been wound down, but said four officers remained at the scene to check for any hotspots.

Meanwhile Drusillas Zoo thanked firefighters for their efforts and said the park will be open as usual tomorrow.