'One of the hardest and longest nights ever' firefighters tackle huge blaze at industrial unit in Speedwell

A cordon remains in place after a huge blaze broke out at an industrial unit in Speedwell in Bristol.

The Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called to the Strachan and Henshaw building at 6:20pm on Friday 3 May.

Police are currently treating the fire as suspicious.

Around 40 homes were evacuated and families were offered refuge at a nearby church overnight.

Officers said there were no reports of casualties and no cause of the fire has been found yet.

Images and video on social media showed flames and huge plumes of black smoke billowing from the site.

There were also reports that some residents had heard explosions.

The cause of the fire is thought to be suspicious.

Crews from Kingswood Fire Station posted pictures on Twitter saying it was "one of the hardest and longest nights ever."

Firefighters also tackled a blaze at the Strachan and Henshaw building, on Foundry Lane, on New Year’s Eve.

A picture taken at the scene by Kingswood firefighters shows the ruins of the building as well as several burnt out cars.