More than 100 firefighters tackling blaze at industrial unit after ‘large explosion’ in Essex
More than 100 firefighters are battling a massive blaze following a “major explosion” at an industrial site in Essex, officials said.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to farmland on Southend Road between East Hanningfield and Rettendon on Friday afternoon.
Locals said the explosion shook houses and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
The East of England Ambulance Service said they were responding to a “significant incident”.
Pictures show large clouds of dark smoke in the air that can be seen for miles.
According to the fire department’s call logs, the fire was first reported at 16:50 and is still ongoing.
Steven Whan, 58, from Bicknacre, near Danbury, told the BBC he thought he heard the sonic boom of a jet when the explosion occurred.
“Our house shook, the doorbell rang. I thought it was a sonic boom because we’ve been through this before,” he says.
Whan adds: “The police shut everything down. You can’t go near him.”
Another resident, David Harris, who lives about six miles from the fire, said: “It sounded like someone had dropped some kind of brick pallet or something on the road, it was so loud it was unbelievable.”
Emergency services advised residents to keep their windows and doors closed, while surrounding roads were closed by police.
