A huge industrial explosion rocked households in southeast England early Friday, with fire services saying they were battling to contain the resulting blaze hours later.

"Ten fire engines and a height vehicle are in attendance, and crews are working to tackle the blaze," Kent Fire and Rescue Service said of the incident at an industrial estate in Hoo, near Rochester in Kent.

Local resident Joe Discipline was quoted as saying by the domestic Press Association news agency that the blast "shook the house and windows" at around 3:30 GMT.

"I jumped out of bed to see, the sky was orange," he said. "There was then a second explosion just as big."

Videos posted online showed flames and a plume of black smoke rising high into the night sky, with the fire still raging as dawn broke.

The fire service said no casualties had been reported. The cause of the blast is not yet known.

Source: AFP