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Three fire engines and two fire officers’ cars were destroyed in a blaze at an industrial unit in Essex yesterday, while 20 firefighters were sent to hospital following the incident.
Firefighters were faced with the “large and rapidly developing” blaze on Friday evening following a fertiliser explosion.
Rick Hylton, chief fire officer and chief executive at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, gave an update on the fire in a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
He said: “The fire and explosion has … destroyed three fire engines and two officer cars that were being used to respond to the incident.
“This underlines the scale and intensity of the conditions our crews faced.”
Mr Hylton said that 20 firefighters had “attended hospital” following the incident.
Roads are closed and people are being asked to avoid the area (PA)
“Of that 20, four suffered minor injuries, and the remainder were precautionary assessments, including checks for issues such as hearing loss following the explosion.
“I am pleased to confirm all of those firefighters have now been discharged from hospital.”
Firefighters will continue working into the weekend at the site of the huge industrial blaze.
The fire, which prompted the evacuation of nearby homes, was declared a major incident on Friday afternoon.
Emergency services were first alerted to the inferno on Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, at 4.50pm on Friday, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said.
Smoke billows from a fire at an Essex industrial unit (Reuters)
Several industrial units and an adjacent field were engulfed in flames. About 100 firefighters were originally deployed to combat the extensive fire.
Mr Hylton said: “The incident is now under control, although firefighters will remain at the scene, dealing with the remaining hotspots and supporting the transition into the recovery phase.”
People are being asked to stay away from the area so that firefighters can continue their operations.
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