Watch: Moment of explosion at Essex industrial plant
ByLewis AdamsEssex
An explosion tore through an industrial unit in Essex on Friday, with more than 100 firefighters sent to tackle a massive fire and a “major incident” declared.
Footage which captured the moment of the explosion showed a ball of flames erupting into the air, while witnesses told the BBC the sound was “like a bomb” and as loud as a “sonic boom”.
People living in the area were urged to keep their windows and doors closed as smoke drifted across the area.
The site where the explosion occurred is near the village of Rettendon, south of Chelmsford.
Aerial footage shows wreckage of the huge fire in Essex
As of Friday evening it was not clear whether there had been casualties or what caused the blaze or explosion.
East of England Ambulance Service said its hazardous area response team and the police were also in attendance.
In an update on Friday evening, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service area manager Dave Bond said there was still “significant smoke” at the scene but he believed that the fire had been “surrounded”.
He added: “We ask for the public’s patience while we extinguish the fire and bring the incident to a closure.”
The public has been urged to avoid the area
Locals reported hearing the explosion on Friday afternoon. Adrian Walker, 46, from Ashingdon, said: “The ground shook, buildings shook, windows rattled, birds flew off – and I am 15 miles away.
“I’ve never heard anything like it. At first, I thought it was the MoD in Shoeburyness trying out some new ordnance, but it was heard and felt for miles around.”
Image source, Zoie O’Brien/BBCSeveral smaller fires were seen around the main blast site
Matthew Fergusson, from Wickford, described a “massive explosion” that sent a “mushroom cloud” towering into the sky.
“I thought someone had dropped something heavy upstairs, but when I went outside the whole street was out,” he added.
Steven Whan, 58, from Bicknacre, near Danbury, thought he had heard a jet’s sonic boom when the explosion occurred.
“Our house shook, the doorbell went off. I thought it was a sonic boom because we’ve experienced that before,” he said.
Thick smoke plumes into sky as Essex fire rages
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