Nine fire engine crews from the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS) are battling a huge fire at a recycling centre.
The blaze began at the centre at the Burnt Mills Industrial Estate in Archers Fields, Pitsea just after 12pm.
By the time the fire engine crews arrived, around 250 tonnes of 250 tonnes of recycling and plant machinery was on fire.
The fire and rescue service released a photo of huge brown and grey smoke clouds billowing into the air.
An Aerial Ladder Platform attached to a fire engine truck can be seen pouring firefighting foam onto the blaze.
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A spokesperson for the ECFRS said: “If you live nearby, please keep your windows and doors closed.”
Worried residents reported seeing the clouds from as far away as Canvey, according to the Southend Echo.
Essex Police are also on the scene as officials block off roads leading to the recycling centre.
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