Fire in industrial unit

Firefighters were called to the scene of an industrial unit fire in Gardiners Lane South, Basildon, this afternoon. 

Crews were called at 1:36pm to reports of a fire in an industrial unit. 

At its height, eight fire appliances, including a Aerial Ladder Platform, were on scene, with firefighters extinguishing the fire in sections. Firefighters worked to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring units.

Earlier on in the incident, smoke started to spread near to a veterinary surgery next door so crews worked with staff to evacuate a number of animals, including dogs, cats and rabbits. All animals were unharmed and transported to nearby vets.

Group Manager Marc Diggory said: “We’ve had a lot of crews here due to the amount of smoke and had to commit firefighters wearing Breathing Apparatus to tackle the fire in sections. We’ve got it under control and will stay at the scene for a few hours to make the area safe. 

“There’s no risk to the public and we’ve tried to keep road closures to a minimum. Thank you to everyone for your patience while we’ve been dealing with this incident.”