The first fire crew to attend a blaze in Crawley which devastated four houses and damaged six others took 18 minutes to arrive, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has said.
The response time to the fire in Ash Keys, on Monday afternoon (August 3) was more than eight minutes longer than the average recorded for critical fires at the end of 2025/26.
A spokesman for the service said: “At the time of this incident, our fire-fighters were responding to multiple large fires across the county, reflecting the exceptionally high level of demand we are experiencing.
“After all serious fires, we carry out a thorough review of our response to identify any opportunities to strengthen our operational approach and ensure we provide an effective and efficient service for our communities.”
A Crawley engine was the first on the scene and was joined by crews from Worthing, Storrington, East Grinstead, Horsham, and Turners Hill, as well as the other Crawley crew. Additional support in tackling the blaze was provided by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
With the hot, dry weather looking set to continue, vegetation and ground cover are tinder dry, allowing fires to spread much more quickly than they normally would, placing more and more pressure on crews and resources.
The spokesman said: “We would like to reassure the public that we continue to mobilise resources dynamically to ensure the most appropriate and effective response to emergencies across our communities.”
But a former West Sussex firefighter with more than 30 years of experience said the incident highlighted "how inadequate fire and rescue resources are now in West Sussex".
Tony Morris, who runs the Stop The Cuts campaign, pointed out that there used to be five engines in the Crawley area – two in Horley and three in Crawley.
He added: “The service has already stated that, because of modern materials, fires are now burning hotter and quicker than they did. That and the ease – in these dry conditions – with which fires can spread from gardens to homes, should see more fire-fighters, not less, and quicker responses, not slower.”
In January, nine whole-time fire-fighters joined the service, with another eight on-call (retained) fire-fighters joining in March, and seven on-call fire-fighters in May.
But a performance report for the end of 2025/26 showed that the level of ‘adequate crewing’ at all on-call stations stood at 46 per cent. This was an improvement but still placed the issue in the red.
Fourteen of the county’s 25 fire stations are entirely crewed by on-call teams.
While initially thought to have been caused by a bonfire, investigation of the blaze at Ash Keys concluded that it was an ‘accidental ignition, with the most probable cause attributed to an electrical fault’.
But some people are still not taking care to ensure that what they see as a bit of fun in the sun does not turn into something much more dangerous.
The spokesman said: “We ask residents to take extra care during this period of hot, dry weather by avoiding the use of disposable barbecues and bonfires, disposing of smoking materials responsibly and reporting signs of fire as quickly as possible.”
For more information about summer fire safety, log on to www.westsussex.gov.uk.
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