Hear from KM Group
reporter Patrick Gearey and check out the scene.

A road was closed and buildings evacuated after a gas fire at a
workshop on the Medway City Estate in Strood.

A cordon
was set up on Neptune Close and about 30 firefighters, six pumps
and police went to the scene.

40 premises were evacuated.

A 4ft acetylene cylinder was found alight at Metalfab
Engineering just after 8.40am Monday.

Troy Loader, workshop foreman at Metalfab Engineering, said: "It
was a blowback from a hose which ignited the top of the bottle. We
tried putting it out with the fire extinguisher and could not so
called the fire brigade.

"It is just one of those things you cannot really do anything
about, a one off."

At about 10.30am people working at some of the units on the road
were told they could return. More than 100 people are still waiting
to be given the all clear.

The cordon was finally lifted shortly before 11am.

Police advised motorists to avoid the area. Lorries heading for
Neptune Close were backing up along the road as they could not gain
access.

Ian Simpson, blue watch manager for Strood station said:
“Acetylene is a very dangerous gas, it goes off like a bomb if it
explodes so if the cylinder had exploded there was a potential for
devastation.”