Cotgrave industrial estate blaze 'like Armageddon'

A witness described an explosion and fire at a Nottinghamshire industrial estate as looking "like Armageddon".

Sixty firefighters tackled the blaze at Hollygate Lane Industrial Park, Cotgrave, which began shortly before 20:00 BST on Thursday.

Residents said they heard a bang and then saw a large cloud and smoke ring over the area.

The fire service said the cause of the blaze was being investigated, but it did involve gas cylinders.

Read more updates here: Nottinghamshire Live.

The fire severely damaged a large two-storey building which housed six separate units.

Resident Anna Lee said they were driving when they heard the explosion.

She said: "We saw the massive mushroom cloud, it was frightening. There were people coming out of the houses, there were cars stopped in the middle of the road - you thought it was like Armageddon.

"The amount of smoke after the explosion meant it was billowing everywhere. It was thick and acrid."

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service incident commander Nick Hopkins said: "It was quite challenging at times due to the nature of the units, where a number of different companies were based.

"There was a dry cleaners, a steeplejack and a company extruding plastics.

"There were also a couple of gas cylinders involved and there was a kerosene tank of 400 litres which needed protecting in the next building."

He added the 60 firefighters involved had trouble getting enough water to tackle the flames, having to pump water from the nearby Grantham Canal.

Ray Hallam, who ran TVR steeplejacks from one of the units, said: "We have lost our offices and all our equipment. Everything to do our job has gone.

"The firefighters told us it got to 1,000 Celsius in there, so there is no chance of much surviving."

Various organisations have been involved in dealing with the incident, including environmental teams to assess any wider impact.

There were no reports of any injuries.