Heat lamp causes fire in reptile enclosure

Firefighters were called to a fire in Southend-On-Sea last night when a man was woken by the smell of smoke in his home.

On arrival, crews confirmed that a heat lamp in a reptile enclosure had caught fire. The room was 50% alight and was full of smoke.

Firefighters worked hard to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible. They were able to prevent the fire spreading to other rooms in the property, but the room where the reptiles were kept suffered significant damage as a result of the fire.

Firefighters also rescued a bearded dragon and four lizards. Sadly, a parrot and four other lizards died at the scene.

Crews confirmed the fire was out by 3:23am.

Watch Manager, Scott Fretton, said: “We really want to highlight the importance of having working smoke alarms. We recommend everyone has at least one working smoke alarm on each level of their property.

Smoke alarms save lives, and are often the first sign of a fire in your home.”

Do you have working smoke alarms at home?

If you or someone you know doesn’t have working smoke alarms, please get in touch with our Service. Visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.