A firefighter is recovering from burns he received during an explosive gas-fuelled fire which left crews fearing for their lives.

The blaze began at around 11.15am on Thursday at Woodham Joinery in Redhill Road, South Woodham Ferrers.

The industrial unit contained liquid petroleum cylinders and other chemicals which exploded.

The large amount of timber in the building, together with a ruptured gas pipe, caused the fire to burn so fiercely that rather than trying to put the fire out crews employed defensive tactics, concentrating on stopping the blaze spreading.

A firefighter received the burns as embers from the fire penetrated his clothing and burnt his neck. He was treated at South Woodham Ferrers ambulance station, but his injuries are not thought to be serious.

Station Officer Eddie Brennan from South Woodham fire station said: "The unit was totally engulfed by fire. It was a credit to their hard work that the fire didn't spread to the other buildings on the site.

"Because of the dangers of the materials inside a unit like this it was decided early on to employ defensive tactics.

"We concentrated on trying to contain the fire rather than put it out.

"Six people were working in the unit when the fire began, and all were evacuated safely, as were workers from neighbouring buildings."

He explained how six appliances from across south Essex, a control unit and the aerial platform from Basildon were used to contain the blaze, which totally destroyed the 450 square metre building.

The fire was brought under control at around 1pm, but the damping down operation continued throughout the afternoon.

The building was totally destroyed by the fire, with the roof collapsing as steel supports weakened in the intense heat.

Gutted - firefighters sift through the remains of the industrial unit

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