Garage fire

Crews stopped a garage fire in South Woodham Ferrers from spreading to nearby homes.

Firefighters were called to a property in Tighfield Walk today at 12.35pm when one of the occupants discovered the fire.

Watch Manager David Taylor said: "The occupant heard popping and banging and saw the double garage was on fire. She got everyone out of the house, stayed out and called 999 - which is exactly the right thing to do.

"The garage was close to two properties and crews worked really hard to stop it spreading - they did a brilliant job."

Crews fully extinguished the fire by 1.59pm.

Watch Manager Taylor said: "The occupant was testing out batteries on his solar panels but he inadvertently left them connected overnight. The batteries overheated and ignited - and the fire spread throughout the garage.

"It may be worth considering a smoke alarm or heat detector in your garage. Call our Home Safety team on 0300 303 0088 or email home.safety@essex-fire.gov.uk for advice."

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

South Woodham Ferrers is recruiting on-call firefighters; people 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.

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