Fire blocks exit - two women and two dogs rescued

Firefighters were called to a flat in Holland On Sea last night, when residents were woken by their smoke alarm after a fire had started outside of the building, blocking their exit.

Crews were called to Frinton Road in Holland On Sea at 12:14am. Our control team stayed on the phone to the occupants as they waited for crews to arrive, issuing fire survival guidance to keep them as safe as possible.

On arrival, firefighters confirmed there was a fire on the ground floor, to the rear of the property, and the first-floor flat was 100% smoke logged. Two neighbours noticed the smoke and acted quickly to put up a ladder in an attempt to rescue the occupants.

Crews rescued two women and two dogs, then worked quickly to extinguish the fire by 1:30am.

Firefighters cleared the property of smoke and the occupants were left in the care of the Ambulance Service.

The cause of the fire has been confirmed as accidental.

Watch Manager at Clacton, Craig Todd, said: “I really want to thank the neighbours, who acted quickly to put a ladder up to the bedroom window whilst our crews made their way to the scene. This action helped us to secure a positive outcome, and for that we’re really grateful.

“I’d also like to praise crews from Clacton, Weeley and Colchester, who worked extremely hard in a challenging situation to bring the fire under control and preserve the building.

“A smoke alarm will alert you to the first sign of fire in your home. The incident last night highlights just how important it is to have working smoke alarms on every level of your property. Without one, this incident could have had a very different outcome."

Do you have working smoke alarms in your home?

Residents in this incident had working smoke alarms which alerted them to the fire. 

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.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Some of the firefighters who attended this incident are on-call firefighters, who live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and are paid to attend incidents in their community.

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

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