A warehouse in Essex was all but destroyed in a fire which broke out in the early hours of last Friday (11 February).
Initially, two crews were called to the incident at an industrial unit at Ash Tree Farm near Chelmsford at around 4.45 am. Firefighters found that all of the 40m x 20m building was well alight, and requested two additional appliances.
Difficulties in establishing a water supply meant that appliances were used to shuttle water from the nearest source back to the site of the blaze.
The fire was extinguished by 6.50 am and a joint police and fire service investigation is under way.
Also in Essex, a fire broke out on Sunday evening (13 February) at a disused warehouse on the Whitehall Industrial Estate in Colchester.
The 50m x 30m building was reported as being 30% well alight and 100% smoke logged.
Around 25 firefighters used an aerial ladder platform and three main jets to tackle the blaze. Fire crews took precautions in view of asbestos being involved.
The fire was extinguished at around 10.30 pm but firefighters remained on the scene until midnight to damp down the site.
Crews ascertained that the fire was started deliberately.
