Sam Dimond, owner of event production company Spotlight Sound, said he had lost his livelihood in the fire. The headquarters of his business was based on the industrial site.
He said: “It’s gone, basically. Lots and lots of people have lost their livelihoods. We’ve got customers to serve, we’ve got employees that have a job, and at the minute they don’t have a place of work to go back to.”
Locals reported hearing the explosion on Friday afternoon.
Adrian Walker, 46, from Ashingdon, said: “The ground shook, buildings shook, windows rattled, birds flew off – and I am 15 miles away.
“I’ve never heard anything like it. At first, I thought it was the MoD in Shoeburyness trying out some new ordnance, but it was heard and felt for miles around.”