Update 2 June 2022

A fire investigation has been carried out following the fire in Colchester yesterday morning. Essex Police have released the following statement:

A man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into a fire in Colchester.

We were called to the incident, in St John Street, shortly before 5.30am on Wednesday 1 June by colleagues in Essex County Fire and Rescue.

We closed the road whilst the fire service dealt with the incident.

Update 7:40pm

Crews used foam to tackle the blaze and have confirmed the fire is now out. 

The road, nearby street lights and traffic signals have suffered significant damage as a result of the fire. The road will remain closed while urgent repair works take place and the vehicle is removed from the roadway.

Area Director, Neil Fenwick, said "The fire has now been extinguished but we'll remain at the scene as long as necessary to monitor the situation and make sure the fire remains out. 

Crews were called to a fire in John Kent Avenue, Colchester last night after a cigarette caused a fire in a bedroom.

Firefighters were called to a fire in a property in Colchester at 7:15pm, when a mother discovered a fire in the bedroom of her home.

On arrival, crews confirmed that the fire was in a bedroom to the rear of the property and worked quickly to extinguish it by 7:40pm before clearing the house of smoke. As a result of their hard work, the fire was successfully contained to the bedroom.

Crews were called to a property on Oxford Avenue, Chadwell St Mary, at 4:15pm today when occupants discovered a fire in their home.

On arrival, firefighters confirmed there was a fire in the kitchen, caused by a pan which had been left on the hob.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire by 4:38pm, and cleared the property of smoke.

Station Manager, Kevin Smith, at Orsett Fire Station, said: “It’s really important to keep cooker surfaces clear of flammable objects. Even after cooking, hobs remain hot for some time and items left on top can easily catch fire.

Firefighters have issued safety advice after a fire in a fish and chip shop in Debden this morning.

Crews reported on arrival that the property was completely smoke logged and a fire was burning within the kitchen area of the premises.

Firefighters worked hard to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible. Due to the prominent location of the restaurant, a safety cordon was briefly put in place while crews made the area safe.

The fire was out at 12.06pm.

Firefighters released a muntjac deer on Saturday morning, after it had become trapped in a fence overnight in Walton.

Crews used hydraulic cutting equipment to carefully ease the animal free from the metal structure.

Thankfully, the deer was unharmed.

Could you be an on-call firefighter?

Frinton firefighters who attended this incident are on-call firefighters, who live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station and are paid to attend incidents in their community.

Firefighters have issued safety advice following a kitchen fire in Little Thurrock, Grays, last night.

Crews were called at 9.53pm to a kitchen fire after a smoke alarm alerted the occupants and they were able to get out of the property and dial 999.

Watch Manager Gary Banninster from Grays said: “The fire started in the kitchen but as the kitchen door was closed it helped to contain it to one room. The smoke alarms gave warning and meant they could get out and call us.” 

We have returned to the industrial unit in River Way, Harlow, following reports of smoke from the building. 

On arrival, crews found there was a remaining hot spot from the fire which had occurred there earlier this week. The seat of the fire was in an unstable part of the damaged building. 

We used a drone to assess the incident and are continuing to monitor the site and dampen down.

Details of the fire earlier this week can be viewed on our incidents page.

Crews from Braintree and Great Baddow have been praised for their quick response after they stopped a fire in a storeroom from spreading to a thatched building in Rayne last night.

Firefighters were called to The Street at 8.54pm and found a fire in a two metre by four metre store room in the back of a function room at the rear of the premises.

Thanks to their swift actions, firefighters contained the fire to the storeroom and stopped it spreading. 

Firefighters are warning people of the dangers of climbing coastal rocks after rescuing a man in Clacton last night.

Our crews and colleagues from the coastguard were called to the pier at 22.39 following reports a man had slipped on the rocks and had got stuck in the breakwater.

The tide was coming in and firefighters used straps to pull him out. Fortunately he was not badly hurt.