- Essex County Fire and Rescue Service were called to a rapidly developing blaze at a Harvester restaurant on London Road in Stanway, near Colchester, at 12.50am on Thursday.
- Firefighters worked in sections to bring the fire under control and successfully prevented it from spreading to neighbouring buildings, though the restaurant sustained severe damage.
- Incident commander Jeremy Tuckwell confirmed that crews would remain at the scene for some time, thanking staff from nearby businesses for their support during the disruption.
- London Road in Stanway near the Essex Yeomanry Way roundabout was closed to traffic on Thursday morning, with the public advised to avoid the area while nearby businesses like Sainsbury's remained open as normal.
- Officers from the fire service plan to conduct an investigation into the cause of the fire once the site is declared safe.
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