A lone firefighter tackles a raging inferno at Horsham Gates Business Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Horsham Bluewatch firefighter was among the first to arrive at the scene, but he was later joined by up to 100 from across the district and beyond.
All that remains of the offices - used by Spofforths Chartered Accountants and Tax Advisors, who have thankfully reported that nobody was working at the time - is a gutted building in a perilous state of collapse.
Firefighters worked through the night, and were still present at the site on Monday morning, before fire investigation officers moved in.
And on Tuesday, Horsham Police confirmed that they were treating the fire as arson.
The fire was reported at the premises - at the junction of North Street and Foundry Lane - shortly after 6pm on Sunday.
It was well alight as the first crews attended from Horsham station, just around the corner on Hurst Road, leading to early speculation amongst firefighters that the fire could have started in the car park and spread initially unseen.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue services from Crawley, Haywards Heath, Billingshurst, Shoreham, Burgess Hill, Henfield, Horley, Dorking and Turners Hill attended to assist Bluewatch in their efforts to bring the blaze under control.
Police are now appealing for witnesses following the fire. A spokesman said: “The fire is now being treated as arson.
“Police have worked closely with West Sussex Fire and Rescue and a Home Office Forensic Scientist. The exact cause of the blaze remains unknown, but we are working to establish how the blaze started and spread so quickly.
“The forensic examination of property taken from the scene is continuing.”
Sussex Police could not confirm how the fire started, but added: “Anyone with information about the blaze, especially anyone who saw people acting suspiciously around the office car park areas, or saw anyone hanging around the building just prior to the blaze, is asked to contact Horsham CID via 0845 6070999 quoting Operation Stonehurst.”
Chris Woolgar, a freelance photographer who often takes pictures for The Resident, was among the first on the scene.
He said: “My son Phillip was walking by and saw smoke coming out of the top of the building. He had the presence of mind to call the fire brigade.
“I arrived shortly after, just as the fire crews were arriving, and by then the roof was ablaze. I couldn’t believe how quickly the fire took hold.
“I managed to get as close as the roundabout to take pictures, and a number of people had come out and were watching it. It was quite incredible.
“The firefighters appeared to have it all under control. I don’t think there was anything else that they could have done.”
On Monday morning, Foundry Lane was closed at one end, and North Street was closed to traffic leaving town, causing delays for people travelling to work, although half term holidays meant the roads were not as busy as they would normally be. Adjacent offices were closed.
In a statement, Bryan Elkins of Spofforths Chartered Accountants, wrote: ‘We are pleased to confirm that no-one was injured in the fire at our Horsham office and firefighters did a great job of tackling the blaze.
‘An investigation into the cause of this sad incident will be carried out but we have no details at present.
‘All Horsham staff will relocate to our Storrington office, located at 20 Old Mill Square, as a temporary measure. Our clients are being informed of the situation and we are doing all that we can to ensure business continues as normal.’
The Resident would like to thank Chris Woolgar, Jasmin Curtis and Sharon Dow for contributing images.
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