Braintree fire: Dog dies in large tyre blaze

Firefighters tackling a blaze involving a "large quantity" of tyres have confirmed a dog died in the incident.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service said a 30 sq m (323 sq ft) area of stored tyres was alight when they attended the facility in Rayne Road, Braintree, at about 23:40 BST on Wednesday.

About 40 firefighters worked to get the blaze under control by 01:45 on Thursday.

An investigation has been unable to determine the cause of the fire.

Crews were expected to work at the scene "for some time", the fire service said, and two crews remained on Thursday afternoon to tackle hotspots.

The fire service added the blaze could continue to produce smoke so residents should keep doors and windows closed.

Essex Police said earlier that Rayne Road was closed and it was currently unable to say when it would open but asked people to avoid the area.

The fire service confirmed the blaze had also affected the industrial unit of the facility and about 80% of it had been damaged.

Three residential properties directly adjacent to the site of the tyre store were also evacuated briefly as a precaution.

Group manager, Dave Walpole, said: "The fire was in an area without good water supply for our crews and there were lots of surrounding risks including homes and other industrial units.

"Fortunately, thanks to firefighters' hard work, it was contained to the initial industrial unit it started in."

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