Electrical fault causes fire in Basildon

Crews were called to a building on Clay Hill Lane, Basildon at 3:30pm after a smoke alarm sounded, alerting occupants to fire in an electrical unit.

On arrival, Firefighters confirmed that the fire was in an electrical consumer unit at the back of a building, measuring approximately 40m x 15m. They used dry powder to extinguish the fire by 4:42pm. As a result of their hard work, the fire was successfully contained to the electrical unit, and the building remains functional.

The cause of the fire was accidental and, thankfully, no one was harmed.

Watch Manager at Basildon, Howard Midwood, said “This is a great example of how working smoke alarms can alert you to a fire in your home or workplace.

“I’d like to thank the crews, who did a great job to contain the fire and prevent additional damage to the property. I’d also like to thank the staff and patrons who acted quickly to move vehicles, giving us quick access to the building.”

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, or are unable to hear it.

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.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Firefighters from Corringham are on-call Firefighters, who all live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and attend incidents.

If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be an on-call firefighter too.

Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call