Fire in ground floor flat

Crews extinguished a fire in a ground floor flat in Basildon after a resident raised the alarm.

Firefighters from Basildon and Corringham were called to Witchards today at 2.54am after someone in an adjacent flat reported smelling smoke.

Crews found a fire in the lounge, caused by an electric golf trolley battery overheating after it was left on charge. No-one was in the flat at the time. 

Temporary Watch Manager John-Paul Charters said: "We'd like to thank the resident for raising the alarm. It meant we were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it spread to the rest of the property or the adjoining flats.

"The incident is a reminder to make sure you unplug electric appliances when they're not in use and not to leave items on charge for long periods."

Crews fully extinguished the fire by 3.41am and used fans to clear the smoke.

Do you have working smoke alarms?

The flat involved in this incident did not have smoke alarms. We recommend you have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of your home to keep you and your family safe.

You can book a free Home Fire Safety visit by either popping into your local fire station, calling 0300 303 0088 or booking a visit online at essex-fire.gov.uk/book

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Firefighters from Corringham are on-call Firefighters, who all live or work within 5 minutes of Corringham 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