Twenty firefighters were hospitalised after a fire which followed an explosion at an industrial unit housing fertiliser in Essex yesterday.
More than 100 fire crew had responded to the fire, which came after an explosion heard across the county thought to have come from the industrial unit which housed fertiliser.
Three fire engines and two fire officer cars were also wrecked, according to Rick Hylton, chief fire officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
Four of the hospitalised firefighters were treated for minor injuries, while the rest were checked for hearing loss.
All have now been discharged, Mr Hylton said, adding crews would remain at the scene but that the fire had been put out.
He said it was one of the ‘most challenging and complex incidents’ his force had responded to in years.
Firefighters worked ‘tirelessly in extremely challenging and hazardous conditions’ from yesterday to this morning to stop the ‘large and rapidly developing’ fire from spreading further, he added.
Residents described hearing loud booms from a farm estate just before 6pm yesterday and were warned by emergency services to keep doors and windows closed.
An aerial image of the site showed the extent of the blaze yesterday which involved more than 100 firefighters
Aerial footage showed buildings and vehicles on fire by Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, as dozens of fire engines and ambulances lined the roads nearby.
According to reports, the explosion was heard up to nearly 15 miles away from the scene of the fire. Some said they heard the blast in Southend, around a 30-minute drive away.
Another resident reported on social media that a relative’s house had been damaged by the sheer force of the shockwave.
The first emergency call about the fire was made at around 4.50pm yesterday before a major incident was declared just under an hour later following the fertiliser unit explosion.
It is understood a field and industrial units caught fire before fertiliser inside one of the units exploded while fire crews were on the scene.
At a press conference today, Mr Hylton said an investigation into the fire’s cause was underway and urged the public not to speculate.
He said: ‘The fire and explosion has also 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.
‘I also want to provide an update on the welfare of our firefighters. I can confirm that 20 firefighters attended hospital following the incident.
‘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.’
An explosion rocked homes across Essex as the fire erupted at an industrial unit in Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon
The chief fire officer added: ‘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.’
‘Firefighters arrived quickly and were faced with a large and rapidly developing fire involving several units and surrounding farmland.
‘At 5.46pm, following an explosion involving fertiliser within one of the industrial units, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident.
‘We took that decision because of the scale and complexity of the incident, the significant resources required to bring the fire under safe control, and the need to co-ordinate a multi-agency response.’
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