30 square metres of tyres alight

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire involving a large quantity of tyres at a site in Braintree on Wednesday night.

On arrival, crews confirmed that around 30 square metres of tyres within an external storage facility were alight.

Firefighters immediately called for additional support to establish a good supply of water and ensure enough personnel were on scene to surround the fire as quickly as possible. The incident was also divided into four sectors to allow crews to tackle the fire from different angles.

At 1am, crews confirmed that the fire was affecting the industrial unit of the external tyre store. The unit was around 20% alight. Firefighters were working hard to prevent the fire spreading further, while also trying to maintain a consistent supply of water.

At 1.45am, the fire was under control. Three residential properties, which are directly adjacent to the site of the tyre store, were evacuated as a precaution.

Group Manager Dave Walpole said: "Firefighters have done an incredible job to get this fire under control quickly and prevent it from spreading this morning.

"The fire was in an area without good water supply for our crews and there were lots of surrounding risks including homes and other industrial units. Fortunately, thanks to firefighters' hard work, it was contained to the initial industrial unit it started in.

"I'd like to thank Essex Police for their support at the scene this morning, as well as the members of the local community - particularly those who we asked to evacuate their homes briefly while we were initially fighting the fire.

"We expect to remain at the scene for some time this morning to make sure the scene is fully safe, so please do avoid the area."

The industrial unit has been around 80% damaged by the fire.

Firefighters remained at the scene at 8am on Thursday continuing to eliminate hotspots at the scene. A full fire investigation will take place once the area has fully cooled.

The fire is under control, but due to the smoke, please avoid the area if you can - and if you live nearby please stay inside and keep your windows and doors closed.

Update 3pm

Two crews remain on scene monitoring hotspots. Sadly, a dog at the scene died during the fire. An investigation has been carried out and the cause of the fire could not be determined.