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Major fire at bus depot creates huge smoke cloud

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service A double-decker bus engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing from it.Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Crews were still tackling the fire into Friday evening

Firefighters have been tackling a major blaze at a bus storage depot in Essex.

About 36 double-decker buses have been destroyed at the Chadwell St Marys depot, near Grays, after flames took hold shortly after 18:00 BST, said the county's fire service.

A huge cloud of thick black smoke was seen billowing from the site, with crews from Grays, Basildon and Orsett fighting the fire into Friday evening.

The fire service said by about 21:00 two crews remained at the scene to extinguish hot spots. It said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the blaze.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service A cloud of thick black smoke in an otherwise blue sky. In the foreground are a ploughed field and fire engines.Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
A cloud of thick black smoke has been billowing from the site
Peter Lester-Tugwell A photo of a field, trees and houses, with the sky beyond filled with clouds of black smoke.Peter Lester-Tugwell
The fire set off a massive cloud of black smoke

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