Shoppers watched as firefighters put out a blaze at the Sainsbury's supermarket in Haywards Heath.
The fire started near the loading bay yesterday. Piles of plastic and other rubbish caught alight at the back of the store at about 12.50pm.
The fire spread to a metal skip filled with rubbish and about 30 plastic trolleys.
Leading firefighter Ian Walker, of Haywards Heath fire station, said: "Much of what caught fire was plastic so there was a lot of smoke.
"The fire was also very near a huge water tank, which is used for the sprinkler system. We had to turn the sprinkler system off after it started leaking near the loading bay."
Firefighters from Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill spent about three hours dealing with the blaze at the store in Harlands Road, which did not have to be evacuated. The cause is being investigated.
A woman had to be rescued from her bedroom during a house fire in Langley Drive, Langley Green, Crawley, last night.
Fire crews put a ladder up to her first floor window.
She was treated by paramedics at the scene but did not have to go to hospital.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article