Essex fire: Twenty firefighters taken to hospital and three fire engines destroyed after fertiliser explosion causes huge blaze
Three fire trucks and two firefighters’ cars were destroyed in the fire that broke out at an industrial facility in Essex yesterday, and 20 firefighters were sent to hospital after the incident.
Firefighters faced a “large and rapidly developing” blaze following a fertilizer explosion on Friday evening.
Rick Hylton, fire chief/CEO of the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, gave an update on the fire at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
He said: “The fire and explosion… destroyed three fire trucks and two police cars used to respond to the incident.
“This highlights the scale and intensity of the conditions our crew faced.”
Mr Hylton said 20 firefighters were “taken to hospital” following the incident.
“Four of these 20 suffered minor injuries and the rest were precautionary assessments, including checks for issues such as hearing loss following the explosion.
“I am pleased to confirm that all of the firefighters have now been discharged from hospital.”
Fire crews will continue to work near the large industrial fire until the weekend.
The fire, which forced the evacuation of nearby residents, was declared a major incident on Friday afternoon.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said emergency services were first alerted to the inferno on Southend Road between East Hanningfield and Rettendon at 4.50pm on Friday.
Several industrial facilities and an adjacent area were engulfed in flames.
District manager Dave Bond said manure exploded in one of the units while crews were present.
About 100 firefighters were initially deployed to fight the extensive blaze, and dozens are expected to remain in the area until Saturday.
In a video update published on Friday night, Mr Bond said: “We are in the process of scaling back but we still have 50 firefighters on scene. We are still working closely with our partners, including the police, ambulance and utilities companies, and we also have a number of specialist advisors on scene supporting us throughout the night.”
Mr Bond said the event would “continue until the end of the week”.
Citizens were asked to stay away from the area so that fire crews could continue their work.
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