PHOTOS: Crews extinguish fire in 13th floor flat

Firefighters were called to reports of a flat fire in Chadwell St Mary this morning.

On arrival, crews confirmed that a fire was burning in a flat on the 13th floor of the building.

Crews immediately evacuated residents of the other properties on the 13th floor and implemented the building's 'stay put' policy for all other occupants, which encourages those who are not at direct risk of fire or smoke to stay where they are and allow firefighters to tackle the fire quickly and efficiently.

Firefighters quickly gained entry to the flat and worked hard to ensure the fire did not spread any further.

A safety cordon was also put in place around the area of the building.

Incident Commander Al Green said at 10am: "Crews are working hard to completely extinguish this fire and make the building safe again as quickly as possible.

"If you live nearby, you may notice smoke coming from the building - please don't be alarmed. A safety cordon is in place while firefighting continues, so please avoid the area."

At 10.30am, the fire was completely extinguished. Two people have been affected by smoke inhalation.

Incident Commander Al Green said at 11am: "I'd like to thank the residents of this building for being so supportive. The people on the same floor as the fire followed our advice and made a safe exit, while everyone else within the building was incredibly respectful of what we asked - which makes a big difference in being able to tackle the fire as quickly as possible.

"I'd also like to recognise the brilliant work of our crews. High-rise fires are complex and can be really challenging, but the professionalism and efficiency of our firefighters today has made sure that this incident didn't become more serious."

The Red Cross has also been called to support at the scene, after the occupants of the flat were sadly left homeless by the damage caused by the fire.

We believe this fire was caused accidentally, after a tumble dryer overheated.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Some of the firefighters who attended this incident are on-call - meaning they all live or work within 5 minutes of their Fire Station and attend incidents.

If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could help to protect your community too.

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