PHOTO: Bonfire embers cause outbuilding fire
Firefighters are warning residents to makes sure bonfire embers are fully cooled before you leave them after embers caught an outbuilding alight in Tolleshunt Knights last night.
Crews from Tiptree, Tollesbury and Colchester were called to Barnhall Road in Tolleshunt Knights where they reported an outbuilding - measuring 8 metres x 6 metres - was on fire.
Firefighters worked to remove the roof tiles from the summerhouse to extinguish the fire by 12:30am.
Watch Manager Dave Farrant from Tollesbury Fire Station said: “If you’re planning to have a bonfire, please make sure you set it up well away from anything that the flames or embers could catch alight like sheds, fences, trees and shrubs.
“We recommend you always stay with the bonfire, keeping an eye on it while it's burning and you let the embers fully cool before you leave it. You can use water to help cool the embers faster.”
If you’re planning to have a bonfire:
- Make sure you site the bonfire well away from houses, garages, sheds, fences, overhead cables, trees and shrubs
- Never leave the bonfire burning unattended
- Build the stack so that it is stable and will not collapse outwards or to one side
- NEVER use flammable liquids - paraffin or petrol - to light the fire
- Don't burn foam-filled furniture, aerosols, tins of paint and bottles
- Keep everyone away from the fire - especially children, who must be supervised at all times
- Pour water on the embers before leaving
Could you be an on-call firefighter?
Tiptree and Tollesbury's firefighters are on-call firefighters - they all live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and are paid to protect their community.
Do 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 and how to apply at join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call
