ESSEX FIRE DESTROYS THREE ENGINES, HOSPITALISES 20 FIREFIGHTERS

A fire at an industrial unit in Essex on Friday evening destroyed three fire engines and two officers' cars, and resulted in 20 firefighters being taken to hospital. The blaze, which involved a fertiliser explosion, was declared a major incident and prompted evacuation of nearby residents. Emergency services were first alerted to the fire on Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, at 4.50pm. Rick Hylton, chief fire officer and chief executive at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, described the conditions faced by crews as "large and rapidly developing".

Of the 20 firefighters hospitalised, four suffered minor injuries, whilst the remainder attended hospital for precautionary assessments including checks for hearing loss following the explosion. All 20 had been discharged by Saturday afternoon. Area manager Dave Bond said that fertiliser exploded within one of the industrial units whilst crews were present. Approximately 100 firefighters were originally deployed to tackle the blaze, with several industrial units and an adjacent field engulfed in flames.

Firefighting operations continued into the weekend, with 50 firefighters remaining on site as of Friday night. Mr Hylton said the destruction of the fire engines "underlines the scale and intensity of the conditions our crews faced". The incident required substantial resources and extended operations to bring under control.