Firefighters have issued safety advice following a fire at a ground floor flat in Long Riding, Basildon, this evening which has left two people homeless.

Crews were called to the property at 7.19pm when a neighbour dialled 999 after hearing a smoke alarm go off.

When they arrived the property was heavily smoke logged and firefighters believed the occupants were still aside. They carried out a full search and rescued two cats, two snakes and two geckos. Unfortunately two budgies had died.

Clacton firefighters rescued a deer that was trapped in a fence this morning.

On arrival, crews reported that a deer was trapped in a fence and firefighters cut away at the fence to rescue it by 10:32am.

The deer was unharmed and trotted off happily after being freed.

Firefighters are highlighting the importance of having working smoke alarms after we were called to a house fire in Harlow when neighbours heard smoke alarms going off.

On arrival, crews reported that there was a fire downstairs in a house in Kingsland, Harlow.

Crews extinguished the fire by 11:06am. Crews determined that the fire was caused accidentally.

A family of three have been rendered homeless due to the damage to the property.

Please take care when using garden incinerators, that’s the advice from our firefighters following an incident at a property in Dovercourt yesterday evening.

A chicken coup and shed were destroyed after a dustbin incinerator was being used too close to a garden storage unit. The heat from it caused the timber and plastic to ignite and the fire spread. Fortunately the six chickens were rescued by the owner and neighbours.

Update from Station Manager Dave Bond at 8am

Crews from our specialist marine rescue team worked with the ship’s crew and Tilbury Docks staff to resolve this incident as well as many other multi agency partners including the East of England Ambulance Service, HART (Hazardous Area Response Teams) and the Environment Agency.

Crews were called to a building on Clay Hill Lane, Basildon at 3:30pm after a smoke alarm sounded, alerting occupants to fire in an electrical unit.

On arrival, Firefighters confirmed that the fire was in an electrical consumer unit at the back of a building, measuring approximately 40m x 15m. They used dry powder to extinguish the fire by 4:42pm. As a result of their hard work, the fire was successfully contained to the electrical unit, and the building remains functional.

The cause of the fire was accidental and, thankfully, no one was harmed.

Firefighters removed an aerial from the roof of a house in Brook Street, Brentwood, this afternoon following concerns from members of the public that it was unsafe following storm damage.

We were called at 3.10pm and crews used an aerial ladder platform to access the roof. Traffic management was in place whilst the crews worked.

Thank you to local residents for their patience during the incident.

Firefighters were called to a former shop in Little Walk, Harlow, at 9.30pm last night.

A member of the public spotted the smoke billowing from the building and called 999.

When crews arrived at the shopping centre, there was a large amount of smoke coming from the premises which was boarded up. They had to break up the boarding to enter the shop and the adjoining premises to stop the fire spreading.

Firefighters have issued safety advice following a fire in a conservatory of a property in Manor Road, Thundersley, last night.

Crews from Rayleigh Weir and Basildon attended and extinguished the fire, which damaged the conservatory, by 00.20am. They used thermal imaging equipment during the incident.

No one was injured.

The cause of the fire was accidental but Crew Manager Rob Maclean wants to remind people of our home fire safety messages. 

Firefighters rescued a dog in Southend earlier today when he ventured into a hole and couldn’t find his way out.

The dog, a Jack Russell cross, was out for a walk with his family, when he discovered a hole and found himself stuck underneath the pavilion at around 9:30am.

When the crew from Southend arrived, they were able to hear the dog but couldn’t see him. Fortunately, firefighters were able to rescue him quickly using tools to dismantle part of the pavilion. He was safely back with his owner by 10:07am.