A businessman today told how he watched in horror as his firm burned to the ground in a massive blaze.
Chris Wakefield looked on helplessly as firefighters battled in vain to save his firm, Pier Metals, as flames engulfed it.
Mr Wakefield, 40, of Church Road, Billericay, was called to Albright Industrial Estate in Ferry Road, Rainham, last night at the height of the blaze.
He said: "I got a call saying there was a lot of smoke down there. I went down but the fire brigade wouldn't let us anywhere near it.
"I stayed down there until 3am. It was awful. I am gutted. I have been there for 15 years."
The fire also brought down an electricity pylon and forced the closure of an 11-mile stretch of the nearby A13 as the flames destroyed units containing industrial chemicals and a used car lot.
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2003
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