FIREFIGHTERS in Essex put in force a 200 metre exclusion zone as they battled a blaze which engulfed several farm buildings.

FIREFIGHTERS in Essex put in force a 200 metre exclusion zone as they battled a blaze which engulfed several farm buildings.

Two engines were initially called to fight the fire in Beach Road, St Osyth, shortly after 2am this morning, but on arrival requested the support of three more crews from across the county.

A lack of water supplies hindered the efforts of firefighters trying to ensure the blaze was prevented from spreading to another nearby farm building.

It was later discovered that a number of gas cylinders were involved in the fire and that an exclusion zone would need to be put now in place.

Crews continued to work to bring the flames under control and managed to curtail the fire to several buildings measuring 100m by 25m.

Firefighters remained on scene today and a joint police and fire service investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the fire.