2006-10-30 Flats evacuated after pallet fire

Fire crews tackled the blaze through the night. Picture by Paul Wood Two blocks of flats were evacuated after a pallet yard in Waltham Abbey caught alight.

Some 100 firefighters from Herts, Essex and London tackled the blaze which started on Friday night at Highbridge Road and burned for more than 12 hours.

A 200-metre exclusion zone was put in place around the site after fire crews discovered explosive gas cylinders.

The fire was in an industrial area used for storage. Crews were expected to be at the site for most of Saturday.