PLANS have been submitted to replace business units destroyed by a blaze and an explosion where two firefighters cheated death.
The fire at a workshop in Kingsford Business Centre in Layer Road, Colchester, in December 2014 was made worse by an acetylene cylinder exploding and flames then spread to a second unit.
One firefighter had his eardrum burst in the incident, while the other escaped largely unscathed, but a source close to Colchester's fire station said the pair were lucky to be alive.
The fire took four hours to extinguish but an exclusion zone was put into place until the day after, and nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
Acetylene is a an extremely flammable gas, which can explode when mixed with air or oxygen.
Colchester Council aims to have a decision on whether the units can be restored by March 16.
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