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Twenty firefighters attended hospital after a fertiliser explosion caused an inferno in Essex on Friday.
Emergency services declared a critical incident during the intense blaze at a massive industrial unit.
Video showed a huge fireball explosion sent a mushroom cloud into the sky.
Rick Hylton, chief fire officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, told a media conference on Saturday afternoon that multiple fire engines were destroyed in the response and 20 firefighters had to attend hospital.
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.”
Fire crews were called to the blaze on Southend Road, between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, at 4.50pm on Friday.
More than 100 firefighters were working at the site and at 8.15pm, and area manager Dave Bond said a major incident had been declared “due to the size of the fire”.
Firefighters will remain at the scene, although the fire has now been put out, Mr Hylton confirmed.
He said: “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.”
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Matthew Fergusson, from Wickford, told the BBC he heard a “massive explosion” that sent a “mushroom cloud” into the sky.
"We heard a massive explosion. It shook our house and we're a good mile away.
“I thought someone had dropped something heavy upstairs, but when I went outside the whole street was out.
“The people opposite us said their house shook too.”
BBC cameraman Stephen Huntley described hearing an explosion from his back garden like a bomb going off, and said emergency service vehicles were passing him "non-stop" on his way to the scene.