Deliberate fire destroys three garages

A fire has destroyed three garages in Kelvedon Hatch this afternoon (Thursday 18 May).

Firefighters were called to the fire by concerned neighbours who spotted the fire and called 999.

When firefighters arrived they reported that a large pile of fly-tipped rubbish had been set alight, which then caught light to the garages. The fire affected three of the six garages in the row.

Crew Manager Marc Kyprianou, Basildon Fire Station said:

"We believe this fire was started deliberate. There was a large pile of fly-tipped rubbish, general waste plus a mattress and some chairs. These items were set alight, and the fire spread to the garages, two of which have been completely destroyed.

"Piles of rubbish are often used to start fires, in fact, they account for the largest proportion of deliberates fires we attend. So keeping your property clear of rubbish reduces your risk significantly. There are also ways to report fly-tipping via your local council. If you see any fly-tipping you can report it to your lcoal council who will arrange for it to be collected: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

"I would urge anyone that knows how this fire started to report it to FireStoppers. FireStoppers is a completely independent charity that is 100% anonymous. We are working really hard to stop these deliberate fires which are wasting our resources, tying us up when we might be needed at a real emergency and also putting lives at risk. If you know anything, please report it".