Industrial building in Essex destroyed in major fire

An industrial building in Basildon has been destroyed by fire after a major blaze broke out late last night.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service (EFRS) were called to the site in Christopher Martin Road at around 11pm last night.

16 crews were called to the fire in Christopher Martin Road Credit: EFRS

The roof of the building was alight and aerial platforms from Chelmsford and Grays were called in to help fight the flames.

The fire produced large amounts of smoke, with nearby residents warned to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.

Aerial platforms from Chelmsford and Grays were called in Credit: EFRS

During the fire, what firefighters described as 'an amount of molten syrup' leaked from the building. The Environment Agency were also called in to make sure that any hazardous materials didn't make it into the watercourse.

Incident Commander Martyn Hare praised the firecrews for their work in tackling the fire.

The building this morning Credit: EFRS

Firefighters are still trying to reach pockets of fire within the building. A mechanical digger will be brought in to begin moving parts of the collapsed structure to allow them to safely extinguish remaining hotspots.