A man was saved by his smoke alarm after falling asleep and setting fire to his mattress with a cigarette.

We were called to a ground floor flat in Vange Hill Drive, Basildon yesterday (Thursday 25 April) at 9.21pm after a neighbour heard the alarm.

Two crews from Basildon arrived and rescued a man who was lying on a mattress which was alight.

Watch Manager Darryl Worster said: "The occupant fell asleep while smoking and the cigarette set fire to his mattress; it produced a lot of smoke but luckily it did not set fire to the bedding.

Firefighters were called to a garden fire in Notley Road, Braintree at 1:17pm.

On arrival, three crews (Braintree, Chelmsford and Halstead) reported a shed fire had spread to a garage and requested a further crew from Dunmow.

Firefighters worked quickly to contain the fire and prevent it spreading. 

While at the scene, crews rescued four dogs who were in a kennel in a garden. 

Diesel, Flo, Gigi and Miley were unharmed during the incident and have been reunited with their owners. 

A family were alerted to a fire in their kitchen thanks to a smoke alarm.

We were called to a bungalow in Arne Court, Laindon yesterday (Monday 22 April) at 9pm and crews from Basildon and Rayleigh Weir attended.

An air fryer had caught alight in the kitchen.

Crew Manager Philippe Pitts-Webster said: "A neighbour had tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher but thick black smoke was still coming out of the front door.

"Crews extinguished the fire and cleared the smoke.

Update Tuesday 23 April 

The cause of the fire has been recorded as accidental. 

Firefighters from Basildon, Chelmsford (two) and Orsett have extinguished a fire at a scrap yard near Mores Lane, Brentwood. 

Crew Manager Jason Gould said: "Crews have done a great job to surround the fire and stop it from spreading further. There were four vehicles alight including cylinders and a small outbuilding." 

An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out later today.

Firefighters were called to the scene of an industrial unit fire in Gardiners Lane South, Basildon, this afternoon. 

Crews were called at 1:36pm to reports of a fire in an industrial unit. 

At its height, eight fire appliances, including a Aerial Ladder Platform, were on scene, with firefighters extinguishing the fire in sections. Firefighters worked to prevent the fire spreading to neighbouring units.

Firefighters are currently at the scene of a large haystack on fire in Butterfield Chase, Latchingdon. 

If you are in the area, please keep all your windows and doors closed as there is smoke coming from the fire. 

Watch Manager Gary Bannister said: "We are carrying out a controlled burn on the haystack as this is the safest and most effective way to deal with this kind of incident. Crews will be handing the scene over to the owner but will be returning throughout the day to monitor the fire.