Essex Firefighters Tackle Industrial Unit Blaze After Explosion Heard 15 Miles Away
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 24
Essex Firefighters Tackle Industrial Unit Blaze After Explosion Heard 15 Miles Away
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 24
Summary
Southend Road crews were called to farmland between East Hanningfield and Rettendon on Friday afternoon after a blaze broke out at an industrial building in what fire officials called a significant incident.
Witnesses reported a loud explosion before the fire, with one resident saying it sounded "like a bomb" and 46-year-old Adrian Walker saying the ground and buildings shook 15 miles away.
Essex County Fire and Rescue urged people to avoid the area and keep windows and doors closed as plumes of smoke spread across parts of south Essex.
East of England Ambulance Service said it was also responding, indicating the incident had widened beyond a fire-only response.