Warehouse fire visible for miles

Smoke from the fire could be seen from about 30 miles away

A huge fire that tore through a warehouse in Kent was tackled by about 100 firefighters.

Crews from both Kent and East Sussex were called to Paddock Wood after the fire started at the warehouse owned by Whirlpool on Monday afternoon.

At its height a thick plume of black smoke was visible for up to 30 miles.

It is not thought anyone was injured. Roads were closed off and train services from nearby Paddock Wood station were cancelled.

Fire crews were called to the warehouse on an industrial estate at Transfesa Road at about 1615 BST.

The building contained electrical appliances and people at the scene reported hearing a series of explosions as appliances blew up in the heat.

The warehouse was left burnt out and with its metal frame twisted

There were fears gas cylinders stored in the building could also explode.

The thick smoke could be seen up to 30 miles away and was clearly visible in Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Ashford.

The fire had been brought under control by about 1830 BST.

Assistant Chief Officer Bill Welch, of Kent Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We're stopping people getting too close, the dangers for us are the cylinders inside the building and around the back.

"Our concern is for those but also the collapse of the building when we're working there and also the environmental impact it's had on surrounding people."

On Monday evening road closures around the fire scene were causing disruption and train services were expected to be affected by the closure of the station, yards from the warehouse, until Tuesday morning.