From the District Council website:
On Wednesday 29 June there was a fire in one of the Rochford District Council recycling collection vehicles in Plumberow Avenue, Hockley.
The contents of the vehicle, where the fire occurred, had to be emptied in the street resulting in closure of the road for two to three hours.
The quick action of the crew may have saved lives and prevented damage to property. If the lorry had caught fire the situation could have been very dangerous.
Rochford District Council and its partners SITA Suez worked with the Fire Service, Police and other partners to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. The road was reopened at 12.30pm.
Rochford District Council?s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Councillor Mike Steptoe, said: ?The cause of this fire is still being investigated but I would like to praise the quick thinking of the crew who immediately stopped the vehicle and emptied the dry recyclables out onto the road.
Had they not have taken this swift, decisive action the fire could have spread quickly and caused a major incident. I am also appreciative of SITAs rapid clean up operation that has minimised the disruption to residents.?