Tilbury Power Station
Tilbury Power Station has erupted in flames after a suspected accident involving biomass fuels at the plant on the Thames estuary. BBC

Fire crews from London and Essex are tackling a huge fire at Tilbury power station in Essex.

The blaze took a hold of the entire north block of a building at around 7.45 this morning. The site is believed to contain more than 2,100 tonnes of wood pellets.

One hundred firefighters from all over Essex were tackling the fire but more have been drafted in from London after a wood pile on a nearby dockside caught alight too.

Witness Robert Richards told BBC Radio Essex: "The whole of that north block just went completely up in flames.

"It was on two sides that I could see. My daughter could see it from the other side of the river."

RWE Npower, which owns the plant, said: "A fire broke in a fuel storage area at the station. All our employees have been accounted for."

The power station was built to burn coal but has recently been converted to burn biomass fuel and wood.

Biomass plants burn wood pellets which are made by tightly compacting sawdust and other dry waste.

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