A small aircraft crashed and caught fire at London Southend Airport shortly before 4pm on Sunday, July 13, prompting a major emergency response and evacuations of nearby facilities. According to Essex Police, officers were alerted to reports of a 12-metre plane on fire at the airport in Southend-on-Sea. “We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,” a police spokesperson said, urging the public to avoid the area (BBC). The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it was called to the scene at 3:58 pm, with crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir, Basildon, Billericay, and Chelmsford attending. “We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners,” said a fire service spokesperson (BBC). The East of England Ambulance Service deployed four crews, including a rapid response vehicle, a hazardous area response team, and a senior paramedic. Due to the aircraft fire’s proximity, police evacuated Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club as a precaution. Flights to Alicante, Faro, and Palma de Mallorca from Southend Airport have been cancelled, according to a passenger photo shared to the BBC. Local politicians acknowledged the seriousness of the situation on social media. David Burton-Sampson, Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on X, “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.” Matt Dent, cabinet member for business, culture, music, and tourism at Southend City Council, posted, “I am aware of the live serious incident ongoing at London Southend Airport. At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.” Southend Airport plane crash cause currently unknown The cause of the crash has not been disclosed, and there is no official word yet on injuries or fatalities. View all news from the UK.