Three fire engines and two fire officer cars DESTROYED in Essex blaze

Good afternoon, I'm Rick Hilton, Chief Fire Officer for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.Thank you for joining us today.I want to provide an update on the fire at Highlands Farm near East Hanningfield and to recognise the incredible efforts of our firefighters and partner agencies who have responded to this significant incident.This is one of the most challenging and complex incidents Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has responded to in recent years.At its height, more than 100 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire.At 4 .50pm yesterday, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service received the first emergency calls to a fire involving industrial units at Highlands Farm on South End Road between East Hanningfield and Rettonden.

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 coordinate a multi -agency response.Declaring that major incident ensured the appropriate command structures and resources were in place to protect the public, support our firefighters and coordinate the emergency response with our partners.Throughout yesterday afternoon, overnight and into today, Firefighters have worked tirelessly in extremely challenging conditions.and hazardous conditions to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading any further.

The incident is now under control although firefighters will remain at the scene dealing with the remaining hot spots and supporting the transition into the recovery phase.Throughout this incident our priority has been and continues to be protecting the public.

We've worked closely with our partners to provide timely information and clear public safety advice.And I'd like to thank local residents for their patience, understanding and cooperation.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, 4 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.And my thanks to the teams at the hospitals and East Livington ambulance service who cared for and supported my colleagues.Alongside protecting the public, the safety and well -being of our firefighters will always be our highest priority.Yesterday's incident presented exceptionally challenging and hazardous conditions.Our firefighters demonstrated remarkable professionalism, courage and commitment throughout the response.

They continue to receive the welfare, well -being support they need following what has been a demanding operation.instance.I want to personally thank every firefighter, fire control operator and member of staff who has played their part in this response.I would also like to thank our emergency service colleagues, Essex Police, Eastern England Ambulance Service, alongside local authorities and resilience partners who have worked alongside us throughout this instance.This has been a coordinated, multi -agency response.I also want to thank the local community.

Residents have followed our advice, shared information responsibly and supported our crews as they carried out their work.That contribution has made a real difference.I also want to acknowledge the local businesses have been affected by this incident and I recognise the disruption and uncertainty that this has caused and I want to assure them that we are working closely with partners to support the recovery process as safely and quickly as possible.Finally, I'd like to thank the media for helping us to communicate important public safety information quickly and accurately throughout this incident.Our work now moves into the next phase.Firefighters will remain at the scene in order to bring the incident to a safe resolution.

A formal investigation into the cause of the incident has already begun.It is important that we do not speculate on the cause until that investigation has fully been completed.We will continue to provide verified updates through the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service website and our official social media channels and we encourage the public to continue relying on those channels for the latest information.Thank you for your continued support.