Firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a road traffic collision involving two vehicles in Basildon today at 7.51am.

Two crews from Basildon attended the incident, close to the junction with Cranes Farm Road, and found a man trapped in a car.

They used specialist cutting equipment to release him by 8.26am and left him in the care of the Ambulance Service.

Firefighters were called to assist at the scene of a road traffic collision involving two vehicles in Wickford.

Crews from Wickford and Basildon attended the incident in London Road today at 2.27pm.

Working with paramedics, they helped three people out of the vehicles by 3.01pm, including using specialist cutting equipment to free one casualty. They were left in the care of the Ambulance Service.

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UPDATE 8:20PM

Crews have left the scene and Highways England and Essex Police will continue to work on the carriageway in an effort to open it as soon as possible.

Police say it is unlikely the northbound carriageway will reopen before midnight and the southbound carriageway is unlikely to open before 8am tomorrow.

Firefighters were called to a flat fire on the 4th floor of a high rise building in Brentwood this morning.

Crews worked with police colleagues to evacuate the residents as part of the building's policy.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by 10:20am and an investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire.

Firefighters rescued a man earlier today after a vehicle collided with a garage and became trapped under the bricks. 

Crews from Chelmsford and our Urban Search and Rescue team worked to make the building safe so they could remove the vehicle safely. 

The man was unharmed during the incident and the building was made safe by 4.38pm.

A man has sadly died following a road traffic collision on the M11 this morning.

Firefighters reported on arrival that the man was trapped in his vehicle, which had overturned following the incident on the southbound carriageway. No other vehicles were involved.

Crews worked to release the man from his vehicle but he sadly died at the scene.

The southbound carriageway is expected to be closed for several hours - please avoid the area and use another route if you are travelling on the roads today.

Essex Police statement:

Firefighters assisted at the scene of a serious road traffic collision on the M25 near Lakeside this afternoon.

On arrival, crews confirmed that two heavy goods vehicles had been involved in the incident and one person was trapped.

The road was closed immediately to ensure the safety of fire crews and other emergency service colleagues.

Crews worked hard to free the casualty and leave them in the care of the Ambulance Service. Urban Search and Rescue teams also helped to make the scene safe by separating and moving the two vehicles.

Two dogs were rescued from a hot car in Brentwood this morning after they were inadvertently locked inside.

The dogs, both of which were Shih Tzus including one which was pregnant, became trapped after the owner accidentally left keys inside the vehicle.

Firefighters managed to release the animals by 12.05pm. Fortunately, neither dog was harmed and both were left in the care of their owner.

A resident of sheltered accommodation was led to safety after a fire in a room in Wickford on Sunday afternoon.

Crews reported on arrival that the woman had been rescued by on-site staff and other residents had been evacuated as a precaution.

Firefighters used a positive pressure ventilation fan to clear the large volume of smoke which had built up within the premises.

Fortunately, no-one was harmed and the property has avoided significant damage.

The fire was extinguished by 4.51pm. We believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

Firefighters assisted at the scene of a road traffic collision in Wickford this evening.

Crews reported on arrival that two vehicles were involved in the incident, leaving one woman trapped.

Firefighters worked to release the woman by 6.02pm, before leaving her in the care of the Ambulance Service.