The huge fire at a tyre storage unit in Gravesend which could be seen for 40 miles was caused by accident - a boss has insisted.

The 22-year-old man arrested after the blaze at Canal Road was working for T Peters Roofing next to the tyre firm when a small bonfire in a metal drum got out of control.

His boss Terry Peters said it was 'a total accident' and he hoped the police would not be pressing charges.

The father-of-four has suffered a huge loss to his livelihood after one of the largest fires Kent has ever seen, it is claimed.

The arrested man, who has not been identified, has been bailed until September 30.

Mr Peters, 47, was on a family holiday when the fire broke out after 11.30am on Saturday.

“He’s a nice lad and has worked for me for a while now. He was always asking me for any work because there’s just not a lot about at the moment” - Terry Peters, the arrested man's boss

He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I heard. I came back from Lanzarote and saw it all over the news.

"The young man who was arrested does a bit of work for me and is completely gutted about what happened. It was a total accident with a small fire that just got out of hand.

“I certainly won’t be pressing any charges against him and I hope police don’t charge him with anything.

“He’s a nice lad and has worked for me for a while now. He was always asking me for any work because there’s just not a lot about at the moment.”

Mr Peters was planning to visit the burnt-out site this week to take a look around and try to salvage what he could.

He added: “Thankfully, I can still run my business with the tools I have in my van, but I’ve lost a few big power tools by the sounds of it.

“It’s a real shame, but what can you do? What’s happened has happened.”

Around 85 firefighters tackled the blaze; 12 engines from Kent were sent to the Canal Road industrial estate and three London brigades from Erith, Bexley and Sidcup also joined the army of red trucks.

The huge plume of thick black smoke could be seen up to 40 miles away, from people on the M11 to those on the M20 near Ashford.

It was 9.50pm before the fire was doused, but Kent crews stayed until after midnight to dampened down the area and ensure it was safe to leave.

The roofing and tyre businesses are separated by a small metal fence and the tyres are stacked up next to it.

Brian Jones Coaches occupies the plot of land on the other side of T Peters Roofing, and manager Tony Taylor witnessed the fire.

Mr Taylor said: “The young man who works there was burning rubbish in the 45 gallon metal drum like he did every week.

“The next thing I knew the shed on his plot of land was up in flames and the fire was spreading towards the tyres.

“The next thing I knew the shed on his plot of land was up in flames and the fire was spreading towards the tyres.

“We called the fire brigade but they didn’t get here fast enough to catch it before the whole pile of tyres went up.

“Nobody believes it was arson. It’s just a bad accident which could have happened from a number of things; a drum that was maybe a bit too full, wind blowing in the wrong direction, or an unfortunate spark."

The coach company escaped unscathed from the blaze, after some fast manoeuvring of their coaches to avoid the fire and sparks off the mountain of flaming tyres.

No-one was hurt in the blaze, but a dog and five pet ferrets were rescued from the roofing site.

Video: Huge plume of smoke from a tyre fire at a junk yard in Gravesend.

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