Firefighters save two homes from being destroyed

Our on-call firefighters today saved two homes from being destroyed after a shed fire spread to two buildings.

Crews from Wethersfield, Dunmow and Braintree were called to Bendlowes Road in Great Bardfield at 12.23pm today after members of the public reported seeing plumes of smoke from as far as the A120.

Two sheds, which each housed 400 litre heating oil tanks, were on fire, with the heat from the blaze causing the two bungalows they belonged to, to catch fire as well.

Firefighters managed to stop the fire from completely destroying the homes, although they have been left uninhabitable. Fortunately the occupants were not inside at the time of the incident.

Watch Manager Darren Hockley from Wethersfield said: “It’s testament to the hard work of the crews and our training that we were able to stop further damage to the bungalows by containing the fire. The sheds were completely destroyed but by working as a team we were able to ensure minimal damage to the homes themselves and although they are not inhabitable now, they will be able to be repaired.”

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Firefighters from Wethersfield, Dunmow and Braintree are on-call firefighters, who all live or work within five minutes of an on-call fire station and attend incidents.

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

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