Crews have issued safety advice after a barbecue started a garden fire.

We were called to Grantham Avenue, Great Notley yesterday (Friday 13 June) at 5.33pm. 

Crews from Great Dunmow and Wethersfield attended and found a shed and fence alight. They extinguished the fire by 6.10pm.

Crew Manager Adam Stevenson said: "It appears the barbecue was set to close to the shed and set it alight.

Crews have issued advice after a smoke alarm alerted a family to a fire caused by an item left on charge.

We were called to an end terrace house in Schoolfield Road, West Thurrock yesterday (Thursday 12 June) at 5.10am.

Crews were called to Rowhedge on Monday evening (2 June) to assist a woman who had become stuck in deep mud near the water's edge.

Crews arrived at the scene shortly before 8pm and quickly located the woman, who was stuck up to her waist in mud approximately 15 metres from the River Colne. She had been trapped for around an hour.

Firefighters used specialist mud rescue equipment and throw lines to safely reach the casualty. Working alongside the RNLI and other emergency service partners, crews were able to rescue the woman and bring her back to safety.

Firefighters were called to a house in Imperial Avenue, Mayland, last night (Saturday 31 May) after reports of a large garden fire.

On arrival, crews found the fire had already spread to four gardens, affecting sheds, fences and garden items.

Station Manager Scott Fretton said:

"Crews did a fantastic job in surrounding the fire and stopping it from spreading further. They worked quickly to bring it under control and extinguish it safely."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service's crews were called to support Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service at an incident involving a thatched property.

Suffolk initially had five fire engines on scene, with Colchester’s crew from Essex attending to provide support. Essex crews later took over from Suffolk colleagues to continue managing the incident.

Crews were called to a fire in an outbuilding in Clacton-on-Sea, which had quickly spread to a nearby fence and electrical substation.

Firefighters tackled the fire quickly and prevented it from spreading further, but the substation sustained some damage.

The affected substation supplies power to a nearby holiday park, and the damage has resulted in a temporary loss of power to the site.

The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental.

Station Manager Paul Nash said:

Firefighters were called to a three-storey town house in Colchester after a neighbour heard a smoke alarm sounding and dialled 999.

As it was initially unclear whether anyone was inside, firefighters treated the incident as a potential rescue.

On arrival, crews quickly carried out a thorough search of the house and confirmed it was empty.

The fire, located in a third-floor bedroom, was swiftly surrounded and extinguished by crews. The third floor has sustained both fire and smoke damage.

The cause of the fire has been recorded as deliberate.