'It was like a movie - I looked up and an exploded barn rained on me'
A wedding photographer narrowly escaped injury after a massive explosion at an industrial estate in Essex, UK. The incident, which required a major emergency response, resulted in twenty firefighters being hospitalized.
Why it matters
It documents a significant industrial accident and the subsequent emergency response, highlighting the dangers faced by first responders.
Image source, Joanna Taylor/BBC Image caption, Scott Johnson admitted to being still in shock after surviving the explosion largely unscathed
"I closed the door, and then the explosion happened, and it threw me against the door - everything was raining down on me," says Scott Johnson.
The wedding photographer had just walked out of his studio at Highlands Farm, near Rettendon, Essex, when a fire caused a huge explosion at the industrial estate.
The fire service declared a major incident on Friday as more than 100 firefighters tackled the flames. Twenty firefighters were taken to hospital and have since been discharged.
It was like "witnessing something that is literally out of a movie", said Johnson, adding it was a miracle he was unscathed except for "some really nasty tinnitus".
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