Residents in Basildon, Essex, were left “scared and shaken” after a dramatic incident involving an ambulance on Monday evening, March 31. The explosion-like event caused windows to rattle and smoke to billow across the sky, leading to widespread concern among local residents.
At around 7.15 pm, three fire crews rushed to the scene at the Sadlers Farm roundabout on the northbound A130. Eyewitnesses reported hearing “two loud explosions,” and motorists stuck in nearby standstill traffic quickly shared images of the fire on social media. The ambulance, which had come to a stop near a grass verge, was engulfed in flames, spreading quickly to surrounding grassland.
Photographs taken by drivers stuck in traffic, which stretched for around two miles, show thick smoke rising high into the air from a distance of approximately two miles. The fire was so intense that the nearby homes and windows were felt to shake. One local resident commented on Facebook, “We were in Woodside, and our house shook,” while another shared, “My windows shook. I wondered what the two big bangs were. Hope everyone is ok.”
A third individual said: “I’m by Woodside, and our caravans shook. I am shaking; I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
Despite the dramatic scene, fortunately, no crew members were injured. The ambulance, which was not carrying a patient at the time, appeared completely destroyed in photos taken at the scene. The cause of the fire remains unclear.
A spokesperson from the East of England Ambulance Service confirmed the ambulance belonged to a private service contracted to them, adding that no one was hurt during the incident. They also stated that the vehicle was not carrying a patient when the fire occurred.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that crews from Basildon and Rayleigh Weir extinguished the blaze by 8.07 pm. While traffic was backed up for several miles, the road was cleared within an hour, and normal traffic flow was restored.
It is still unknown whether the ambulance has been recovered, but for now, the incident remains under investigation. Local residents, however, are still reeling from the terrifying experience that left them wondering about the cause of the explosion-like fire.
