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Black smoke visible across Ipswich after garage fire

Jacob Ottaway/BBC A police car parked in the middle of a road in front of police tape. There is an officer standing on the left and a sign saying police road closed in front of it. Behind it there are trees and gates and fences to an industrial park. Above it black smoke is rising. Jacob Ottaway/BBC
Part of Sir Alf Ramsey Way was closed while firefighters tackled the blaze on Portmans Walk

Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at a commercial garage unit involving multiple vehicles as thick, black smoke could be seen from across Ipswich.

Crews were sent to Portmans Walk near the football stadium, just before 11:30 GMT.

A Suffolk Fire Service spokesperson said crews wearing breathing apparatus were tackling the blaze, which covered an area of about 20m x 5m (65ft x 16ft). The site was the other side of the road from the waste recycling centre and beyond the Dunwell Motor Group plot.

Police cordoned off Sir Alf Ramsey Way between West End Road and Constantine Road during the incident, which was stood down later in the afternoon.

Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service A plume of black and grey smoke rises from a business unit. There is a wooden panelled fence in the foreground and, just beyond it on the right, an office built in a green shipping container, which is sitting on top of an orange shipping container.Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service
The fire was on the other side of Portmans Walk from the council's household waste recycling centre
Andrew Woodger/BBC A police car parked across a road with a tree and blocks of flats beyond it. There is black smoke billowing across the view of the flats. Andrew Woodger/BBC
Smoke was drifting across West End Road and the river

"Initial reports indicated a significant plume of thick black smoke visible from across the town," said a fire service spokesperson.

"Firefighters also managed hazards associated with smoke and fuel at the scene."

Crews from Ipswich East, Holbrook, Needham Market, Stowmarket and Nayland were all sent out.

Earlier the spokesperson said callers to the fire service had reported hearing an explosion.

Andrew Woodger/BBC A fire engine which has turned into a road, heading towards a fire. There is a lamp post in the foreground.Andrew Woodger/BBC
The blaze is in a single-storey unit in a small business park housing AC Autos and DPF Carbon Clean
Andrew Woodger/BBC A back view of a police officer wearing a yellow hi-vis jacket saying police on the back. He is securing police tape across a road, which is covered in black smokeAndrew Woodger/BBC
Smoke was also billowing across Sir Alf Ramsey Way occasionally, obscuring the view of the bus depot and Ipswich Town's Portman Road stadium on the right

Ipswich Town did not have a home game on Saturday, so travel to the stadium was not an issue. Bournemouth will be the visitors on Sunday for a 14:00 kick-off in the Premier League.

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