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Hoo Marina fire: Huge blaze breaks out after explosion at industrial building in Kent

AspireIntegrated/Twitter
AspireIntegrated/Twitter

A huge blaze has erupted at an industrial building in Kent following a "big, big explosion".

Plumes of black smoke were sent billowing through the skies above the site in Hoo, near Rochester, on Friday morning.

Members of the public are being asked to avoid the area as firefighters battle to extinguish the flames.

The fire continued to burn hours after the explosion shook the town, at one point sending a mushroom of flames rocketing upwards.

Firefighters continued to battle the blaze at an industrial building in Kent (PA)
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze at an industrial building in Kent (PA)

Joe Discipline, an onlooker from Rochester in Kent said: “At around 4/4.30am a huge explosion shook the house and windows. I jumped out of bed to see the sky was orange.

“There was then a second explosion just as big and that’s when I started to record.”

As the blaze burned a huge plume of thick black smoke soared hundreds of feet into the air, prompting the fire service to tell nearby members of the public to close windows and doors.

Ten fire engines have been sent to the scene as firefighters continue to tackle the blaze.

Gas cylinders were involved in the blaze.

No casualties have yet been reported, the fire service said.

Paul, 60, who chose not to give his second name, lives on St Mary’s Island, across the River Medway from the fire, where he awoke and watched from around 5am.

“I heard cracking and things exploding, so then started to video it – then all of a sudden, boom, it was a big, big explosion,” the sales manager told PA.

“I was thinking, is it going to be like Beirut? At the end of the day, you see the mushroom cloud, then there might have been a secondary explosion which was even bigger, so I was just a little bit worried.

“It was eventful to wake up to, that’s for sure.”

The blaze could be seen for miles (PA)
The blaze could be seen for miles (PA)

A former Royal Engineer, Paul said the the explosion reminded him of gas explosions he had seen while working with the British Army.

“I was just concerned that nobody was hurt … because of that size of explosion, it’s going to blow a few windows out, that’s for sure,” he added.

Ten fire engines were sent to the scene as firefighters continued to tackle the blaze.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service is at the scene of an industrial building fire on Vicarage Lane in Hoo, near Rochester.

“Ten fire engines and a height vehicle are in attendance, and crews are working to tackle the blaze.

“Firefighters are advising the public to avoid the area while the emergency services deal with the incident.