At least 20 firefighters have been rushed to hospital after an enormous explosion in an Essex village yesterday.

Three fire engines and two fire officer cars were also destroyed in the blaze at a large industrial unit on Southend Road between East Hanningfield and Rettendon, Rick Hylton, chief fire officer at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said.

The explosion occurred around 5:45pm yesterday evening, with around 45 firefighters and 11 fire engines in attendance.

Rick Hylton, chief fire officer/chief executive at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, told a media conference on Saturday afternoon that multiple fire engines were destroyed in the response.

He said: “The fire and explosion has also destroyed three fire engines and two officer cars that were being used to respond to the incident.

"This underlines the scale and intensity of the conditions our crews faced.

“I also want to provide an update on the welfare of our firefighters. I can confirm that 20 firefighters attended hospital following the incident.

“Of that 20, four suffered minor injuries, and the remainder were precautionary assessments, including checks for issues such as hearing loss following the explosion.

“I am pleased to confirm all of those firefighters have now been discharged from hospital.”

Firefighters will remain at the scene of a large industrial blaze in Essex, although the fire has now been put out.

The chief fire officer continued: “The incident is now under control, although firefighters will remain at the scene, dealing with the remaining hotspots and supporting the transition into the recovery phase.

“Firefighters arrived quickly and were faced with a large and rapidly developing fire involving several units and surrounding farmland.

“At 5.46pm, following an explosion involving fertiliser within one of the industrial units, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident.

“We took that decision because of the scale and complexity of the incident, the significant resources required to bring the fire under safe control, and the need to co-ordinate a multi-agency response.”

The Essex County Fire and Rescue Servic focused on preventing the flames from spreading to neighbouring commercial units and farm properties.

The smoke was seen drifting several miles and remained visible across south Essex, Chelmsford, and Maldon last night.

Southend Road is set to remain closed as firefighters continue at the scene.

Dave Bond, the services area manager, said: "The incident will be ongoing into the weekend, so please stay away from the area and allow us to continue operations.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this caused, and we thank you for your patience."