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| Explosions heard at old Thorntons warehouse in Belper | Explosions heard at old Thorntons warehouse in Belper |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Witnesses have reported hearing a series of explosions at a former warehouse in a Derbyshire town. | Witnesses have reported hearing a series of explosions at a former warehouse in a Derbyshire town. |
| The explosions happened on Derwent Street, Belper, at about 15:30 BST in a building on the former site of the chocolate company Thorntons. | The explosions happened on Derwent Street, Belper, at about 15:30 BST in a building on the former site of the chocolate company Thorntons. |
| A helicopter and two fire engines have been in attendance at the scene. | |
| Jan Martin, who lives in Belper, said: "I was upstairs and I heard what I initially thought was a rifle going off a couple of times." | Jan Martin, who lives in Belper, said: "I was upstairs and I heard what I initially thought was a rifle going off a couple of times." |
| 'Chemical-like smell' | |
| She added: "There was a mass of really thick black smoke spiralling up into the air. It smelled like burning plastic." | She added: "There was a mass of really thick black smoke spiralling up into the air. It smelled like burning plastic." |
| Belper resident Katy Bennett said: "We rushed outside and saw massive plumes of thick, black smoke and a chemical-like smell in the air. | |
| "People on the school run could neither see where they were going nor breathe." | |
| John Owen, a Derbyshire County councillor for Belper, said: "There have been no evacuations." | |
| However, he added the emergency services were concerned the building contained asbestos. | |
| "There is some concern about some of the roofing materials. Amber Valley Council's environmental health team are on their way," he said. | |
| "My advice is that if people come across something on the ground they are unsure about, they shouldn't touch it." | |
| A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said a paramedic was passing the scene in a fast response car at the time and stopped to attend. | A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said a paramedic was passing the scene in a fast response car at the time and stopped to attend. |
| The ambulance service added that no-one had been taken to hospital. |