70 Firefighters Tackle Rainham Blaze On Industrial Estate.

Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters tackled a fire at an industrial estate on Willoughby Drive in Rainham yesterday afternoon.

Several containers, seven vehicles, and scrap metal was alight. Firefighters remained on scene into the evening fully extinguishing the flames and there were no reports of any injuries.

Station Commander Mel Anderson, who was at the scene, said: “This was a very visible fire and it has been producing a lot of smoke. Whilst the smoke has now greatly reduced, we advise people in the area to continue to keep their windows and doors closed at this time.”

Two gas cylinders were removed from the area and cooled to an ambient temperature as a precaution, as some cylinders can explode when exposed to heat. 

The Brigade’s Control Officers received more than 50 calls about this fire.

The Brigade was called at 14:09 and Control Officers mobilised crews from Dagenham, Barking, Wennington, Hornchurch, Romford and surrounding fire stations, including from Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, to the scene. A 32-metre turntable ladder from Greenwich Fire Station has also been at the scene and used as a water tower to help extinguish the fire from above. The Brigade’s drone team also attended, providing the Incident Commander with a greater situational awareness of the fire.

The fire was brought under control by 16:23.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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