Firefighters were called to a property in Basildon this evening, after a fire started in the kitchen.

Crews were called to Fauners, Basildon, at 9:24pm tonight when a smoke alarm alerted a parent to a fire in the family kitchen.

On entering the house, firefighters confirmed there was a fire in the kitchen, caused by pizza boxes which were left on the hob and had ignited.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 9:49pm, and cleared the flat of smoke.

Crews extinguished a fire affecting a haystack and barn in Great Totham.

Firefighters were initially called to reports of hay bales alight in Broad Street Green Road today (Friday) at 12.28pm.

On arrival, they found a haystack alight inside a barn, which measured approximately 12 metres by 6 metres.

Crews from Maldon, Witham, Tollesbury and Chelmsford, and Halstead's Water Bowser, used to supply large amounts of water at an incident, attended.

Firefighters removed sections of a roof after it was damaged during high winds.

We were called to Ladyshot, Harlow, today at 12.38pm after a large section of a roof on a three-storey building was dislodged, leaving it a precarious position.

A crew from Harlow and the Aerial Ladder Platform from Grays attended and, using a saw, worked on the roof until 4.34pm.

Station Manager Dave Bond said: "Crews worked incredibly hard to remove sections of the roof and bring them safely to the ground."

Firefighters are giving advice to smokers to make sure cigarettes are properly discarded after a lit cigarette caused a fire in Thorpe Bay.

Two sheds, six fence panels and a tree were damaged during the fire.

Firefighters were called to Butterys, Thorpe Bay at 11:47am and on arrival reported that a fire had spread from one shed to six fence panels and a tree.

The fire was beginning to spread to a neighbour’s shed and crews worked quickly to prevent it spreading further.

Crews were called to a fire in Archer Avenue, Southend this afternoon, when a pan was left unattended and caught alight.

Firefighters were called to a fire in property in Southend at 2:17pm, when a neighbour heard a smoke alarm and noticed smoke coming from the window next door.

On arrival, crews confirmed that there was a fire in the kitchen, which had been caused by a pan which was left on the hob unattended.

Firefighters from Southend worked quickly to extinguish the fire by 2:29pm.

Firefighters attended a road traffic collision on the northbound A12.

Crews from Witham, Great Baddow and Chelmsford were called to Junction 19, between Boreham and Hatfield Peverel, today at 4.19pm.

The collision involves six vehicles and one person was trapped.

Police closed the carriageway while emergency services respond to the incident.

Crews, working with paramedics, administered first aid. The casualty was able to get out of the vehicle and was left in the care of the Ambulance Service at 5.52pm.

Crews extinguished a fire in a maisonette in Basildon this evening.

Firefighters from Basildon, Rayleigh Weir, Corringham and Wickford were called to Rochester Way at 10.01pm.

The ground floor maisonette was completely alight and a large amount of smoke was being produced.

It was initially reported that a person was inside so crews entered the property.

Firefighters are advising residents to make sure any hot embers have completely cooled before putting them in the bin after a fire in Writtle earlier today.

Crews were called to Bruce Road in Writtle after hot embers in a bin had caused a fire that had spread to fence panels. The fire was beginning to affect a property.

Firefighters worked quickly to contain the fire to prevent it affecting the property. Crews extinguished the fire by 11:27am.

Firefighters were called to an oven fire in East Tilbury this afternoon.

On arrival, crews reported that a kitchen was heavily smoked logged and the oven was on fire.

Crews extinguished the fire by 2:06pm and believe it was caused by hot oil in the oven.

Firefighters fitted two smoke alarms while at the property.

Watch Manager Kev Smith from Orsett Fire Station said: “Please take care when cooking with oil. It can can set alight easily and when it starts to smoke, it’s too hot and you need to take it off the heat.

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of having working smoke alarms after a family was alerted to a roof fire when they heard their smoke alarms going off in Bulphan.

Crews were called to a fire in a detached house in Bulphan at 7:30pm.

The property was heavily smoke logged with a fire in the roof. Crews requested further assistance from two crews at Basildon and Brentwood as well as an Aerial Ladder Platform from Grays Fire Station.

Crews extinguished the fire by 9:42pm. An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.