- A large industrial blaze, caused by a fertiliser explosion, occurred at an industrial unit in Essex on Friday evening, leading to a major incident declaration.
- The intense fire destroyed three fire engines and two officer cars belonging to the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, Rick Hylton, chief fire officer/chief executive at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said on Saturday.
- Twenty firefighters were taken to hospital following the incident, he said; four sustained minor injuries, while the others received precautionary assessments, including checks for hearing loss.
- All hospitalised firefighters have since been discharged, and nearby residents were evacuated due to the scale of the inferno.
- Although the fire is now under control, firefighters will remain at the scene over the weekend to deal with remaining hotspots and support the recovery phase.
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