A chemical alert was sparked at an agricultural college after a fire at a barn containing fertiliser.
Fire crews from across West Sussex were called to the Dutch barn in 600 acres of land at Chichester College's Brinsbury campus, near Pulborough.
The barn contained 20 tonnes of nitrate fertiliser and hay. The fertiliser was untouched by the fire but the entire stock of hay went up in flames at lunchtime yesterday.
A specialist decontamination unit was called and paramedics checked out about 17 firefighters after concern about what was contained in the fertiliser bags. No one was injured.
Last night crews were damping down at the site as an investigation began into the cause of the fire.
The Environment Agency was alerted to help identify the chemicals and ensure the nearby water supplies were not affected.
The barn was part of the college's equine centre.
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