Essex crews support Suffolk at large thatched roof fire

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.

At first, it was believed to be a chimney fire, but it soon became clear that the fire had spread to the thatched roof and had also affected nearby areas, including surrounding trees.

Thatched roofs are particularly difficult to extinguish quickly because their natural structure repels water. Firefighters focused on tackling the fire around nearby risks and allowed the roof to burn in a controlled way under close supervision.

Crews remained on site for almost 24 hours, closely monitoring the fire as a controlled burn and making sure the area was fully cooled and safe before leaving.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will take place once it is safe to do so.