Fire Fighters Tackle Essex Blaze

Personal injury experts at Irwin Mitchell say a thorough investigation is needed after a parade of shops in Essex caught fire.

Residents living around The Triangle in Langdon Hills, Basildon, have today (3 January) been told to keep their windows shut and locals said "black smoke" was filling the air.

The fire at the shopping centre, which led to flames "engulfing" the roofs of the stores started just before 14:00 GMT.

Local residents described seeing ‘showers of sparks’ and described the scene as devastating whilst Essex Fire and Rescue said they were fighting flames from several angles.

David Urpeth, national head of workplace injury at Irwin Mitchell, has acted for and continues to represent victims hurt in serious industrial accidents and fires. He represented 75 workers injured in the 2001 explosion at the Killingholme refinery, which occurred when liquid petroleum gas caught fire. Conoco-Phillips was fined £1m for breaching health and safety regulations in the blast.

Commenting on this incident, he said: “Major fires at work like this one can be incredibly serious incidents which can affect workers and residents living nearby.

“While it is welcome that no one has reportedly been hurt in this incident, irrespective of any injuries, it is absolutely vital that a full investigation is carried out as soon as the area is safe to determine what happened, how this fire began and how a similar incident could be avoided in the future.”