House fire

UPDATED 5.30PM

The fire was extinguished at 3.40pm but crews will remain at the scene into the evening to dampen down hot spots.

Group Manager Mark Eaglestone said: "The fire started to the rear of a mid-terrace house, spread through the property and into the roof. It then affected the roofs of five other terraced properties.

"Crews worked extremely hard to create a fire break and did a fantastic job of stopping it from spreading further."

The house where the fire started has been badly damaged by fire. Four of the other properties will need to be assessed by structural engineers.

The local authority and Swan Housing found temporary accommodation for the families affected.

It is believed a discarded cigarette may have caused the fire, which has been recorded as accidental.

Firefighters are currently at the scene of a fire in Pitseaville Grove, Basildon.

The fire, which started in a single property, has spread to a row of terrace houses and crews are working to bring it under control.

Incident Commander Group Manager Mark Eaglestone said: “Crews are continuing to work hard to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to any more properties.

“There is a lot of smoke in the area so we are asking residents that live nearby please keep all your windows and doors shut.

"There are road closures in place and lots of emergency service vehicles around, so please avoid the area for the rest of the day to allow us to give the incident our full attention."