FIREFIGHTERS have told how a strong wind and poor access caused them difficulty in tackling a fire on grassland in East Tilbury.
The fire started at around 2.50pm today on grassland off Fort Road, near to the Tilbury Power Station.
Around 30 firefighters from Grays, Orsett and Brentwood were called to the scene and fought the flames with hose reels and beaters - which are used to quash the flames.
The blaze was eventually put out at 4.40pm, but crews remained on the scene and continued to hose down the site to prevent it from re-igniting.
Jim Jones, Grays fire station commander, said: "The fire covered 20 to 30 hectares of a former landfill site covered in vegetation. Crews worked in difficult conditions, hindered by poor access and strong winds.
"We extinguished the fire using a water shuttle relay with the Pinzgauer off road vehicle doing most of the difficult work over the open ground."
The cause of the fire is undertermined
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