Crews have issued safety advice after an electric blanket caused a bedroom fire.

We were called to a two-storey house in Bull Lane, Rayleigh on Saturday (1 October) at 4.19pm.

Crews from Hawkwell and Leigh attended and found a fire in a first floor bedroom.

Firefighters, wearing Breathing Apparatus and using a hose and fan, fully extinguished the fire by 4.43pm.

A man, who had tried to put the fire out himself, was suffering from smoke inhalation. He had been helped out of the house by a member of the public before crews arrived. 

Crews tackled a fire in an unoccupied social club in Harlow.

Our Control team initially sent two crews from Harlow to reports of a fire in a two-storey building in Park Lane on Saturday at 10.58pm.

Crews found the roof and first floor of the building, measuring 50 metres by 20 metres, completely alight and they were joined by crews from Epping, Loughton, Hoddesdon and Hertford. An Aerial Ladder Platform, from Chelmsford, and Incident Command Unit, from Witham, were also sent to the scene.

Crews have issued safety advice after a candle caused a bedroom fire and left a family-of-six temporarily homeless

We were called to reports of a fire in a semi-detached house in Brook Hill, Little Waltham yesterday (Sunday) at 7.42pm.

Crews found a fire which had started in a back bedroom after an unattended candle set fire to bedding and clothes and spread to the loft and roof. 

The family were alerted by a smoke alarm and escaped unharmed. Crews, from Chelmsford and Basildon, fully extinguished the fire by 8.46pm.

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of working smoke alarms after they alerted a resident to an electrical fire in Chelmsford earlier today.

Crews were called to a house fire in Wright Mead, Springfield at 9:58am after the resident heard their smoke alarms going off.

On arrival, crews reported that there was a fire in the kitchen of a semi detached house.

Firefighters worked to extinguish the fire by 10:56am and believe it was caused by an electrical fault in a fridge freezer.

Firefighters were called to a bus fire on Great Knightleys, Basildon at 7:38am.

On arrival, crews reported that the front of a hybrid bus was on fire.

Three crews worked with the bus management company and engineers to extinguish the fire by 8:52am.

The cause of the fire was accidental.

Firefighters were called to a fire in a derelict building this afternoon (Saturday 8 October).

This the second time we have been called to this address this month.

Fire crews reported that the fire was in the roof space of the two storey building. Firefighters used an aerial ladder platform to put water on the fire from above (see pic).

The fire was extinguished by 6pm. An investigation to find the cause of the fire will be carried out.

Firefighters were called to reports of a barn on fire in Colchester last night (Sunday 9 October).

The building, which measured approximately 20m x 10m, contained a number of cylinders. Firefighters removed the cylinders from the building to avoid them being involved in the fire.

The fire was extinguished at 11pm. Fire crews will remain on site overnight to ensure all the hotspots are fully extinguished.

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the fire.

Firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a road traffic collision involving one bus in Colchester.

When fire crews arrived, they reported that all the passengers were safely off the bus.

*Update 10am* Fire crews are helping to make the scene safe. The driver is being seen to by paramedics.

*Update 10:30am* The driver has been left in the care of the Ambulance Service.

Cymbeline Way has been temporarily closed while the incident is dealt with safely.

Firefighters were called to reports of a dog who had fallen off a cliff and was perched approximately 10m down the cliff-face. The cliff was approximately 50m high.

One year old Shih Tzu, Bonnie, was out walking with her owner when she slipped and fell.

Crews from our Urban Search and Rescue team (based in Lexden) got to the scene and due to the distance and uneveness of the cliff, set up their specialist ropes to rescue the dog.

The team managed to rescue Bonnie by 3pm.

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of having working smoke alarms at home after a neighbour called us to a kitchen fire in Colchester.

Crews were called to Lordswood Road at 9:09am after a neighbour heard smoke alarms going off and could see smoke. The neighbour acted quickly to call us.

On arrival, crews reported that the kitchen of a house was heavily smoke logged and there was a small fire on the hob.

Crews extinguished the fire by 9:36am. Firefighters believe it was caused when a cat turned the hob on and items on top of the hob caught alight.