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20th August 2017
Posted by BBC Essex News
Essex fire: Flames engulf Basildon packaging warehouse
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Essex Fire and Rescue
At its height about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze
A huge fire broke out overnight at a packaging warehouse in Essex.
At its height, about 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at the building in Festival Way, Basildon.
Residents reported hearing two "massive explosions" and seeing "plumes of thick smoke" at about 00:20 BST.
A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it had been working "extremely hard in tough conditions" to bring the blaze under control. No casualties have been reported.
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Essex Fire and Rescue
Essex Police said there were not believed to be any casualties
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Essex Fire and Rescue
The fire service said its crews had managed to stop the huge blaze from spreading to nearby buildings
The officer in charge, Neil Fenwick, said: "Crews have done a brilliant job stopping the fire from spreading."
Locals tweeted that large clouds of smoke could be seen above the building, which the fire service said measured about 100m x 50m.
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Essex Fire and Rescue
A witness told how the blaze got "really scary" when she started hearing bangs
A health worker from London, who had been at Chelmsford's V Festival, told how she and friends were forced to get out of a taxi on their way to their hotel in Basildon as the road had been sealed off.
Mollie Houliston said: "We saw the huge blaze which was across from the street we were walking on.
"There were loads of fire service people around.
"It got really scary when we heard two bangs while watching the raging blaze across the other side of the street."