Overview

• Crews from multiple Essex stations, roughly eight teams totaling about 40 firefighters, responded just after 12.35am to a building on West Avenue reported fully alight.
• Nearby residents were evacuated, a refuge centre was opened at the Premier Inn by Tendring District Council, and people were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to heavy smoke.
• The fire was extinguished, with crews remaining on scene to damp down hotspots as Jackson Road, Penfold Road and Agate Road were closed during operations.
• The blaze affected three businesses and heavily damaged the property, with photos showing a gutted structure and a nearby van destroyed.
• Local reports cited more than 60 evacuees, while Clacton MP Nigel Farage said 92 people were moved to safety and 80 later returned, with no casualties reported at this stage.