Firefighters are highlighting the importance of working smoke alarms after a man was woken up during a flat fire by his smoke alarms. 

Crews were called to Old Road, Clacton at 3:43am to reports of a flat fire. 

On arrival, crews reported the flat was 100% smoke logged and the smoke alarms were going off. Firefighters wearing Breathing Apparatus entered the flat and found a pan on fire in the kitchen. 

Crews worked to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring flats. 

Firefighters were called to a tractor fire in Parsonage Farm Lane, Great Sampford at 2:48pm. 

On arrival, crews reported that a tractor and a hay baler were on fire. The fire was starting to spread to the stubble fields. 

Crews worked with the farmer to extinguish the fire by 4:20pm. 

Station Manager Lee Hurst said: “A big thank you to the farmer on scene who acted quickly to get a water bowser to us. We had a limited water supply and it was great to work with the farmer to extinguish the fire and prevent it spreading further.”

Firefighters were called to a flat fire in Lushes Road, Loughton at 7:58pm last night. 

On arrival, crews reported that a first floor flat was heavily smoke logged. 

Firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and isolate the gas supply.

Firefighters were called to a field fire in Bures Road, White Colne at 5:35pm. 

On arrival, two crews reported that a hay baler and approximately 80 bales of hay were on fire in a field. 

Due to a limited water supply, crews requested two more crews from Halstead and Stansted. They also requested a water bowser from Halstead to help with the limited water supply. 

Firefighters surrounded the fire and worked with the farmer to extinguish it by 7:41pm. 

Firefighters and control staff are highlighting the importance of the mobile app what3words after it helped us find a teenager in a lake last night. 

Crews were called when a group of teenagers had been playing in and around the lake. One of them had been sitting on a raft and it started to drift to the middle of the lake. 

The group didn’t know where they were and were encouraged by our control room to download what3words - a free app that helps accurately describe your location. 

UPDATE 5:05pm

The gas has been successfully made safe, the cordon has been lifted and everyone can return to their homes/cars. Firefighters are now leaving the scene.

UPDATE 3:40pm

Tendring District Council have now set up a rest area in Clacton Leisure Centre for evacuees. This is somewhere to go, inside, with facilities, while residents are unable to return to their homes.

UPDATE 1:50pm

Firefighters were called to the scene of an overturned lorry on the M11 Northbound between Junctions 8 and 9 at 3:20pm.

The lorry had collided with the central reservation and overturned. 

On arrival, crews reported that a small fire from residual fuel was out on arrival. The lorry had been carrying approximately 30,000 litres of vegetable oil and crews worked to make sure none of it was leaking from the tanker onto the road.

Firefighters worked to make the scene safe by 4:25pm. The scene has been left in the care of police and highways colleagues.

Firefighters were called to a fire in a dry cleaners in Stanway, Colchester.

Fire crews managed to extinguished the fire very quickly and stop it spreading to the adjoined businesses and flats in the terrace.

The building and contents of the dry cleaners has suffered significant damage, and the flat above was slightly affected by the smoke.

The cause of the fire was found to be accidental, due to the internal gas metre igniting.

The fire service were called by concerned neighbours who reported seeing smoke coming from the roof of a nearby house.

When fire crews arrived they found the first floor and roof space of the semi-detached property was completely alight.

Firefighters were called to reports of a field fire near to Gobions Park in East Tilbury this lunchtime (Moonday 14 August)

When fire crews arrived they reported that around 6 hectares of stubble alight and there was a lot of smoke moving towards the train line.

Firefighters worked hard to surround and extinguish the fire at 2:45pm.

The fire is believed to have been started deliberately. If you know anything about the fire, you can report it anonymously here: www.essex-fire.gov.uk/firestoppers