Storeroom fire, safety advice issued

Crews from Braintree and Great Baddow have been praised for their quick response after they stopped a fire in a storeroom from spreading to a thatched building in Rayne last night.

Firefighters were called to The Street at 8.54pm and found a fire in a two metre by four metre store room in the back of a function room at the rear of the premises.

Thanks to their swift actions, firefighters contained the fire to the storeroom and stopped it spreading. 

Watch Manager Paul Speller from Great Baddow said: “Braintree were on scene first and thanks to the swift actions of Crew Manager Paul Mayes and his team, they stopped the fire spreading to a nearby building which had a thatched roof. Fortunately the damage was contained to the storeroom, with smoke damage to the function room but it could have been a very different story.”

The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental. The fire was extinguished by 9.52pm.

We want to use this incident as an opportunity highlight the dangers to people of using appliances like tumble dryers in storerooms or outbuildings where they can’t keep an eye on them.

Paul added: “We would urge anybody using a tumble dryer to make sure they clean the filters after every use. It’s important to remove any build up of fluff regularly. Never leave them on unattended or overnight.”

Our top tips for using a tumble dryer safely are:

• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions
• Don’t use tumble dryers at night or while unattended
• Clean the filters after each use to ensure they do not become blocked with fluff
• Items should be removed from the dryer immediately after the cycle and shaken loose to assist cooling
• Ensure that the appliance has its own plug socket. Do not overload extension leads. Ensure that no more than 13 amps are in any one plug socket.

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