Somerset: Evacuations after pyrotechnics factory explosions
- Published
Damage to a container at the Event Horizon premises could be seen on Saturday morning
A 600m cordon was put in place and residents' homes were evacuated after explosions at a pyrotechnics factory.
Fire crews were sent to the Event Horizon premises in Ashcott shortly after 23:00 BST on Friday following multiple calls.
Devon and Somerset Fire Service said the explosions began inside a shipping container which was destroyed by fireworks.
Crews remained at the scene on Saturday morning for monitoring.
Firefighters from eleven stations were called, with crews being forced to retreat to a safe distance on arrival due to a series of large explosions.
One of the containers affected was thought to hold about one tonne of fireworks and a police drone was used to inspect the scene due to the large exclusion zone in place.
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The fire service said on Friday night there was no immediate danger to anyone but about 20 properties within the cordon were evacuated, with residents moved to a local rest centre.
People in the area were advised to keep doors and windows closed.
The fire service tweeted at 09:20 BST on Saturday to say the operation at Event Horizon - a company involved in producing special effects for the film industry - was no longer being treated as a major incident.
Crews have been able to approach the containers to make the area safe and remove the cordon, allowing people to return home by about 11:30 BST.
Avon and Somerset Police was also called to support the operation and thanked people for their patience during it.
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