Smoke alarm alerts family to house fire

A smoke alarm alerted occupants to a house fire in Chigwell.

We were called to Fencepiece Road today at 3.14pm and crews from Loughton, Basildon and Grays attended, along with five crews and an Aerial Ladder Platform from London Fire Brigade.

Crews were faced with a fire affecting the roof and first floor of a semi-detached house.

Station Manager Howard Midwood said: "Crews from Essex and London worked really well together to get what was a fully developed fire under control.

"Unfortunately one house has been severely damaged by fire and the adjoining property has also suffered smoke and water damage. Our thoughts go out to the two families affected.  

"Crews will be at the scene into the evening to check for hotspots and make sure it is completely extinguished.

"We believe the occupants were alerted by a smoke alarm and were able to get out safety, which shows the importance of having working smoke alarms to keep your family safe."

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause.

If you or someone you know does not have working smoke alarms, visit essex-fire.gov.uk/book or call 0300 303 0088.