Southend United former training ground blaze

A HUGE fire on the site of Southend United’s former training ground has collapsed the buildings structure, an Essex Fire Service update has confirmed.

Firefighters remain at the scene of the fire at the Eastern Avenue building which was previously used as the Southend United training ground.

Devastating – Crews worked through the night to tackle the Eastern Avenue blaze (Image: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service) Crews from Southend, Rayleigh, Rochford, Leigh, Shoebury, Hawkwell and an aerial ladder platform have worked through the night to tackle the two-storey blaze.

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Incident Commander Steve Osborn said: “Crews are making steady progress to extinguish the fire, which has now been surrounded and is under control. The structure of the building has collapsed.

Blaze – Crews from several fire stations have been responding to the fire (Image: Essex County Fire and Rescue Service) “Crews will be at the scene throughout the night to dampen down hotpots and make sure the area is entirely cool. If you live in the nearby area we would advise you close your windows as there is smoke coming from the scene.”

A fire investigation is set to be carried out into the cause when it is safe to do so.