Firefighters rescued two dogs from a house fire in Chelmsford last night. 

Our Control Room received multiple calls with reports of smoke coming out of a house on Milburn Crescent, Chelmsford at 11.17pm. When crews arrived, the house was full of smoke and there was fire in the utility room. The family had got themselves out of the property but two dogs were still inside. 

Watch Manager Mark Curtis said: "The fire was well developed in the utility room so crews used ventilation equipment as well as searching for the two dogs who were both found and safe.

Update 5pm, 20 February 2025

The fire has been safely brought under control, and crews are now scaling back their response ready to hand the scene over to the site management.

A woman has died following a serious house fire in Elmdon, near Saffron Walden. Two other people were also injured and taken to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were called to the scene of a well developed fire affecting a semi-detached house. When firefighters arrived at the address, they reported the whole building was alight. Firefighters were on scene tackling the fire and trying to minimse the damage to the neighbouring property for many hours.

Firefighters were called to reports of a house fire in Basildon after neighbours saw smoke coming from the property and called 999.

When fire crews arrived at the property they found smoke pouring out of the ground floor kitchen window.

Firefighters immediately got to work putting out the fire, while protecting the neighbouring properties. Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire by 8am.

Firefighters were called to a property in Basildon in the early of hours of the morning, after a portable heater caused a sofa to catch fire.

Crews were called to a property near Valence Way, Basildon at 4.33am this morning after neighbours heard a smoke alarm sounding next door. 

On arrival, firefighters found a sofa on fire in the bedroom which had been caused by a portable heater. 

Crew Manager Matt Watson said: “Even on lower settings, portable heaters left too close to flammable objects or materials can catch alight.