Bungalow fire - man rescued

Update 4pm

An investigation into the cause of the fire found it started accidentally.      

 Firefighters rescued a man during a bungalow fire in Basildon last night.

We received a call from a neighbour who had seen smoke and heard smoke alarms going off at the bungalow.

Control Room operators sent two crews from Basildon and one crew from Rayleigh to the scene.

On arrival, crews reported that a bungalow was 100% smoke logged with a developing fire covering 30% of the property.

Firefighters forced entry to the property and rescued a man who was unconscious in the hallway.

Crews carried the man outside and gave him oxygen therapy until the arrival of Ambulance Service colleagues.

Crews extinguished the fire by 7:02pm.

The property was destroyed in the fire and an investigation will be carried out to determine the cause.

Crew Manager Dan Tolley from Basildon Fire Station said: “Crews acted quickly to gain access to the property and undoubtedly saved the man’s life as it was so heavily smoke logged in the house.

“This incident highlights how important it is to keep an eye out for your neighbours and act quickly when you hear smoke alarms going off. Our praise goes to the man’s neighbours who acted quickly to save their neighbour’s life.”

Do you have working smoke alarms in your home?

Smoke alarms save lives. They can alert your family as well as your neighbours and passers-by to a fire in your home if you're not home.

We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home and that you test them at least once a month.

If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms, please get in touch. Visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.