The fierce blaze destroyed three fire engines and two fire officer cars
An ‘explosion’ at an industrial unit in Essex has left 20 firefighters needing hospital treatment and has destroyed three fire engines and two other fire service vehicles.
Rick Hylton, chief fire officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, revealed the scale of the injuries following the mass blaze, which broke out on Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, at 4.50pm on Friday.
A number of industrial units and a field caught alight, and while fire crews were on scene, fertiliser inside one of the units exploded – which people across the county reported hearing and seeing, area manager Dave Bond said.
Nearby residents have been evacuated while the fire is being extinguished, and everyone at the scene is safe, he added.
About 100 firefighters worked to tackle the fire, and some are expected to be at the scene overnight.
Mr Bond said in a video update at 10.45pm: “We’re still at the scene of a significant fire in East Hanningfield.
“As you can see behind me, we’re still dealing with significant spots of fire. However, we do have this incident under control and surrounded.
“We’re in the process of scaling back, but we do still have 50 firefighters on scene. We’re still working closely with our partners, including police, ambulance, utility companies, and we also have a number of specialist advisers on scene, giving us support as we move through the night.
“The incident will be ongoing into the weekend, so please stay away from the area and allow us to continue operations. We apologise for any inconvenience this caused, and we thank you for your patience.
“The advice we’re still giving to the public is that if you do smell smoke, then close your doors and windows. But please bear with us as we continue our operations to extinguish the fire.”
A spokesman for East of England Ambulance Service said it had declared a critical incident and its hazardous area response team was in attendance.
Smoke plumes could be seen billowing in the sky in photos and videos posted online, while some locals have said they heard explosions.
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