Broadstairs 'explosion' sparks huge fireball in Belmont Road
16:25, 06 May 2022
updated: 18:24, 06 May 2022
A huge fireball erupted following reports of an "explosion" in a residential street.
Emergency crews rushed to Belmont Road in Broadstairs, where flames and black smoke were pouring from a camper van.
A tradesman working on a nearby house told how he heard a "boom" before seeing the fire erupt shortly after 3.20pm.
Video footage shows stunned onlookers watching on from the roadside.
Three fire engines, police officers and paramedics were called to the scene.
One person is being treated by ambulance crews.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service says a camper van and garden fencing were alight.
A spokesman said: "Three fire engines attended, and crews arrived to a camper van and garden fence alight.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reel jets, main jets and water from a local hydrant to extinguish the blaze, which had also spread to a nearby property."
The blaze was extinguished shortly after 4.30pm.
A police spokesman confirmed officers were called to the scene at 3.40pm and shut Broadstairs High Street while emergency services respond to the incident. The road has since reopened.