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Triangle shopping parade in Langdon Hills on fire Fire destroys Langdon Hills Triangle shopping parade
(about 5 hours later)
A parade of shops in Essex has caught fire, with flames "engulfing" the roofs of the stores. Four shops have been destroyed in a "devastating" fire at a shopping parade involving a series of small explosions.
People living near The Triangle in Langdon Hills, Basildon, have been told to keep their windows shut and locals said "black smoke" was filling the air. The fire at The Triangle in Langdon Hills, Basildon, which included a hair salon and convenience store, started just before 14:00 GMT.
The fire at the centre, which has a number of shops including a hair salon, post office and chip shop, started just before 14:00 GMT. Essex Fire and Rescue said they fought the flames from several angles which included using special platform to douse the fire with water from above.
Essex Fire and Rescue said they were fighting flames from several angles. Firefighters expect to "damp down" at the site for most of the night.
Five fire engines are at the scene, including a special platform used to douse the fire with water from above. Divisional officer Mark Earwicker said: "When crews arrived they were faced with a well developed fire in the roof of the building, which quickly spread across the centre which houses three units.
A spokesman for the service said: "The officer in charge is warning local residents to keep their doors and windows closed to prevent the thick smoke being created by this fire from entering their homes. "The fire involved a number canisters and a quantity of alcohol which caused a few small explosions within the building, nothing which caused us any real problems."
"The fire has spread and now engulfed the roof of the shopping centre," he said. As the roof collapsed into the building it created "pockets of fire" which proved "hard for crews to get at", he said.
Witness Marjorie Jackson said: "There are flames coming from the roof all of the way down. There is very black smoke. Speaking earlier, witness Marjorie Jackson said: "There are flames coming from the roof all of the way down. There is very black smoke.
"Things keep dropping off and sending up showers of sparks. It is absolutely devastating.""Things keep dropping off and sending up showers of sparks. It is absolutely devastating."
Nobody was hurt as a result of the fire.
Mr Earwicker added: "It was a very serious fire and there is now a high level investigation to establish the cause.
"The most significant problem with the fire was the roof structure as it got into the roof and spread through the building."