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A major explosion occurred on Friday at an industrial facility in Essex after a fire spread to a fertilizer store, prompting the deployment of over 100 firefighters and the declaration of a “major incident.” Dramatic footage captured the blast, showing a large fireball ascending into the sky and people running from the scene. Witnesses described the noise as resembling a bomb and comparable in volume to a sonic boom. The fire destroyed several buildings and vehicles located on farmland, with flames expected to continue burning into Saturday.
The incident took place near Rettendon, south of Chelmsford, where residents were advised to keep windows closed due to smoke drifting into the surrounding area. As of Friday evening, authorities had not confirmed whether there were any injuries or fatalities. Dave Bond from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service provided an update, confirming that the explosion was caused by fertilizer stored within one of the units and that the blast was heard across the county. He reassured the public that no wider danger existed and stated, “everybody at the scene is safe,” while noting that residents had been evacuated as a precaution.
Emergency services, including the East of England Ambulance Service’s hazardous area response team and police, remained on site managing the situation. Bond later reported that significant smoke continued to linger but believed the fire had been contained. Meanwhile, Sam Dimond, whose event production company Spotlight Sound was based at the affected industrial complex, described the personal and economic impact of the disaster. He said, “It’s gone, basically. Lots and lots of people have lost their livelihoods. We’ve got customers to serve, we’ve got employees that have a job, and at the minute they don’t have a place of work to go back to.”
Eyewitnesses shared vivid accounts of the explosion, speaking of the intense noise and tremors felt for miles. Adrian Walker, 46, from Ashingdon, who is about 15 miles away from the blast site, recalled, “The ground shook, buildings shook, windows rattled, birds flew off.” Other locals described seeing a mushroom-shaped cloud and hearing what sounded like a sonic boom. Matthew Fergusson from Wickford said, “I thought someone had dropped something heavy upstairs,” and Steven Whan, 58, from Bicknacre, noted, “Our house shook, the doorbell went off. I thought it was a sonic boom because we’ve experienced that before.
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