Fire in large agricultural building

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire affecting a large agricultural building in the early hours of Monday morning.

On arrival, crews confirmed that the building, which is single storey and measures approximately 140 metres by 15 metres, was completely alight.

Callers reported seeing smoke from the fire from the nearby A120 to Control teams.

Due to the remote location of the fire, the Officer in Charge called for the support of a Water Bowser, a vehicle which can carry a large amount of water to help maintain supply for crews.

At 1am, the fire was surrounded and under control, but there continued to be a large volume of smoke. Essex Police were managing traffic on the nearby roads, and part of Braintree Road will remain closed for some time while firefighting continues.

We can confirm that no livestock was affected in the fire.

Incident Commander Steve Wintrip said at 1am: "I'd like to thank our incredible crews for their quick response to what could easily have been a much more challenging incident. The speed they managed to get this fire surrounded is testament to their professionalism.

"We are now beginning to reduce the number of crews on scene, but we expect to be here throughout this morning fighting this fire and making the area safe. Please continue to avoid the area if you can."

At 7am on Monday, three crews (including the water bowser) remained at the scene. Firefighters were continuing to eliminate hotspots in the area and within the structure of the building.

At 1.30pm, two crews were still at the incident to dampen down hotspots. An investigation to establish the cause of the fire is taking place on Monday afternoon.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Many of the crews who responded to this incident are on-call firefighters who all live or work within 5 minutes of their Fire Station. If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be paid to protect your community as an on-call firefighter.

Find out more at: join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call