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Police have now declared a major incident following a large explosion in a chemical tank at an Avonmouth warehouse.
Several people were injured after the blast at 11:20 am this morning (Thursday 3 December) at Wessex Water’s water recycling center in Bristol.
Now residents have been urged to avoid the area.
Firefighters, police, paramedics and a Wiltshire air ambulance attended the serious incident on Kings Weston Lane.
A rescue operation was launched, involving five aircraft and two turntable crews.
Police confirmed that there have been “several victims.”
Chief Inspector Mark Runacres said: “Officers remain at the scene and are likely to be for some time as we work together with other agencies to address this important incident.
“A cordon has been established and we advise members of the public to avoid the area at this time when possible to allow emergency services to do their job.
“Police investigations into what exactly happened are at a very early stage and are continuing.”
Avon Fire and Rescue Service Area Manager Matt Peskett said: “We were called at 11:22 am to report a large explosion at a warehouse on Kings Weston Lane, Avonmouth.
“Crews from Avonmouth, Southmead, Yate, Patchway, Hicks Gate, Kingswood, Weston-super-Mare and Temple mobilized and attended the incident.
“We were accompanied to the scene by our colleagues from the police and ambulance and now we have turned the incident over to the police and continue to support our partners from multiple agencies.”
A spokesperson for the Southwest Ambulance Service added: “We dispatched multiple resources to the scene, including ground air and other specialized paramedic teams.
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“We support the Avon Fire and Rescue Service and the Avon and Somerset Police on the scene.”
The latest updates to this story can be found here.
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