People living near a major industrial fire which caused road closures and power outages in Mansfield say the town "pulled together" to help when many of them were evacuated. There were around 100 firefighters tackling the blaze on Forest Road at one stage, with some living nearby hearing bangs after the building affected went up in flames, though there have been no reports of any injuries.
The incident started at around 3.45pm on Saturday (March 18) and around 50 firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene. As the scale of the fire grew, more crews arrived on Forest Road and police officers began evacuating those living nearby.
One of them was 79-year-old Phillip Arnold, who said: "I have never seen anything like this and I have been here for 50 years. My house is just doors away from it.
Read more: Evacuation centre opened following large industrial fire in Mansfield
"They came and knocked on my door and said we have got to evacuate." Mr Arnold said he had been stood outside for around three hours when Nottinghamshire Live spoke to him on Saturday evening.
The Oak Tree Leisure Centre, about a 45-minute walk away from the fire, was opened up from 7pm on Saturday evening for those evacuated to use as a base to arrange alternative accommodation. But Andy Abrahams, the Mayor of Mansfield, said only a small number of people used the centre given that the friends and relatives of most of those affected "stepped up".
Another one of those evacuated was Gary Grant, 48, whose house is yards away from the fire. He said: "I didn't actually notice the fire when it first went up, I was sat watching telly and then my wife pointed it out to me.
"The police knocked on the door at about 4.30 but we were told we couldn't take the car and we had to leave on foot, because the road was absolutely gridlocked. I heard that they'd opened the leisure centre up but I'm not sure how many will have gone because Mansfield is a place where everybody knows everybody, so people might have been able to stay somewhere else.
"I ended up stopping at a mate of my son's house. I think the fire service have done a really good job stopping it spreading. I did hear a few bangs after it went up but other than that, there wasn't any point where it looked out of control."
Nottinghamshire Police said they would contact local residents directly on when they could return to their property, with the Oak Tree Leisure Centre being opened up again as a rest centre late on Sunday morning for those who needed it. The building affected by the fire was Savanna Rags, a company which recycles clothes and exports them to countries around the world.
In a post on Saturday evening, the company said: "It is with deep regret and sadness that we must inform you that today a fire broke out at our warehouse on Forest Road, Mansfield. Due to this we are seizing our operations with immediate effect. We will advise any further updates when new information becomes available."
The building affected lies opposite Bessemer Drive and Daniel Morris, 35, is one of those who lives on the road. He said: "The first I heard about the fire was actually when the police came knocking on doors evacuating people.
"They said the fire was blowing down here and they wanted to keep everybody safe. They did cut the power off as well but that came back on at about 2.30 this morning for us."
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that parts of Forest Road, Sandhurst Avenue, Bessemer Drive and Nottingham Road were without power on Saturday evening to allow crews to "tackle the incident safely." But the service said all power was restored on Sunday morning.
Several roads were closed whilst fire crews dealt with the incident, with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue saying that Forest Road and Sandhurst Avenue remained shut on Sunday morning. Nottingham Road, one of Mansfield's busiest roads, was opened again in one direction heading out of the town.
Reports from members of the public suggested the fire could be seen from miles around when it started, including in places as far as Ilkeston. Max Eaton, 23, was driving through Mansfield when he saw smoke and parked up to see what had happened.
He said: "When we were driving we could smell the smoke through the car. I was like, 'what is that?' We just saw a big black ball of smoke."
Although the number of firefighters had been reduced, crews remained on the scene on Sunday morning as they continued working to fully extinguish the fire. The building appeared to have been heavily damaged, with parts of it having completely collapsed.
Smoke was still pouring out of the building and bricks littered the surrounding area. One of those at the scene on Sunday morning was Mansfield's Mayor, Andy Abrahams, who said: "The job emergency services have done has been exceptional right from the start.
"The police working with the fire service zoned off all the appropriate areas, they got people out immediately to make them safe and they've worked tirelessly through the night to get the situation under control. I'd also say thank you to all the residents who responded in such a positive way to something they really weren't expecting.
"The Oak Tree Leisure Centre was a base and the five or six people there had found accommodation in hotels by the time I left at around midnight. Obviously loads more were affected, but families, friends and relations have stepped up.
"It does exemplify the Mansfield community pulling together in times of need. You get a major disaster like this, people have found themselves on the streets, and it's great how we all pull together and look after each other."
The cause of the fire is not yet known, with investigations yet to take place. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said on Sunday morning that those evacuated were unlikely to be able to return to their homes for hours.
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