Fire in a commercial building
Update 11pm
Firefighters have now left the scene after monitoring hotspots this evening.
An investigation was carried out and the cause of the fire was undetermined.
Update 6pm
At 6pm, we scaled the incident down to one crew who will remain overnight working to make the building structurally safe.
Update 3pm
The fire is now out and we’re in a position to scale the incident down to four crews and one Aerial Ladder platform.
Crews will remain on scene to monitor hotspots and cool the scene.
We’re also working with the local authority and the building owner to make the building structurally safe for pedestrians and road users nearby.
Station Manager Steve Osborn said: “We’d like to thank the public for their patience today while we have been dealing with this incident.
“We know it’s caused a lot of disruption for many people and we’ve been working hard to get the power back on for local residents and the road opened.
“We will be here for a few more hours while we cool the scene and make the building safe and again, I thank everyone for their patience so we can do this safely.”
Update 11am
Crews have been working to surround the fire and extinguish it in sections.
We’re now in a position to scale this incident down to six crews and will continue to use two Aerial Ladder Platforms to extinguish hotspots in the roof.
Group Manager Craig McLellan said: “Initial crews acted quickly to request further crews and this has helped us to prevent the fire spreading to adjoining buildings.
“We expect to remain on scene for a few hours while we extinguish remaining hotspots and carry out a fire investigation into the cause of the fire.
“Please avoid the area if you can and thank you for your patience.”
Update 9am
Crews have surrounded the fire and are working to extinguish it in sections.
Firefighters are using two Aerial Ladder Platforms to extinguish the fire in the roof space.
The scene is still producing lots of smoke so please continue to keep your windows and doors shut if you live nearby.
We’re currently at the scene of a large fire in a commercial building in Laindon Road, Billericay.
Two crews (Basildon and Brentwood) were called at 6:33am and on arrival requested the help of a further four crews (Basildon, Corringham, Leigh, Rayleigh) due to the amount of smoke coming from the scene.
Firefighters are currently working to extinguish a fire in a large commercial building. The fire has spread to the roof of the building and towards a neighbouring building.
Due to the size of the building, crews have requested the use of two Aerial Ladder Platforms to help tackle the fire from above and a further two crews (Orsett, South Woodham Ferrers) to help on the ground.
The scene is producing lots of smoke, if you live nearby please keep your windows and doors closed.