Firefighters closed a Wickford street to protect the public from nine gas canisters they feared were about to explode inside a burning caravan.
Emergency services were called to the blaze along the A132, opposite Bekash Tandoori Restaurant, shortly after 9.30pm yesterday.
Fire crews from Basildon and Wickford quickly spotted the caravan contained nine 64kg propane gas cylinders, so decided to shut-off a quarter-of-a-mile stretch of the highway.
It took around 35 minutes to extinguish the flames. At one point traffic tailed back as far as the A127.
The A132 was reopened after the caravan had been declared safe at 10.45pm.
A full investigation will be carried out by the emergency services.
Nobody was injured.
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