Update 4:30pm

Crews have extinguished the fire in Beach Way, Clacton. 

One crew will remain on scene dampening the area and monitoring hotspots. 

Three houses have been badly damaged in the fire and seven other properties have been left with smoke and heat damage.

An investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the fire. 

Station Manager Karl Amoss said: “Thank you to everyone for your patience while we have been dealing with this incident. 

An Essex Police statement below reads:

Officers have quickly arrested a man after being called to reports of a fire in South Woodham Ferrers this afternoon (Wednesday 7 August)

We attended the incident in Treebeard Copse at 5.30pm along with our Essex County Fire and Rescue Service colleagues.

Officers worked at pace and within two hours they arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. He is currently in custody.

Crews extinguished a kitchen fire in Halstead.

We were called to Stanley Road today (7 August) at 7.32am and crews from Halstead and Sible Hedingham attended.

They found a well-developed fire in the ground floor kitchen of a mid-terrace house.

Station Manager Lee Hurst said: "The initial crews did a great job of containing the fire and stopping it from spreading to adjoining properties.

"Crews were at the scene into the morning to make sure it was fully extinguished and to check the loft and roof for hotspots."

Crews extinguished a field fire in Braintree.

We were called to Convent Lane today at 5.04pm and crews from Colchester, Halstead, Tollesbury and Dunmow attended.

Approximately 200 metres by 150 metres (two hectares) of a field of cut grass were alight.

Residents in the area were advised to keep their doors and windows closed due to the smoke.

The fire was extinguished by 6.18pm and the final crew left the scene at 9.36pm. The cause is undetermined.

Update 8pm

The gas main has been repaired and all agencies will be leaving the scene. All roads and footpaths will be open shortly.

Update 6:30pm

We're continuing to work with Cadent and other partners to try and resolve this incident as quickly as possible. 

Station Manager Lee Hurst said: "We're working as quickly as we can to safely resolve this incident and would like to thank everyone for their patience while we deal with this incident."

Update 4.30pm

Firefighters are urging residents to keep an eye on candles at all times after a bedroom fire in Colchester was caused by a candle.

Crews were called to a flat fire in Hargood Close, Colchester at 4:30am. 

On arrival, crews reported the flat was heavily smoke logged with a fire in a bedroom. 

A candle in a wax burner had caught a bedside table alight and left the property heavily smoke logged. 

Firefighters were called to a stack fire in Kelvedon Hatch this evening. 

On arrival, three crews reported six hay bales were on fire in a stubble field. 

Firefighters worked alongside local farmers to prevent the fire spreading by breaking up the hay bales with farm machinery.

Crew Manager Dan Hockley from Brentwood Fire Station said: “Crews acted quickly to get the fire under control and prevent it spreading. A big thank you to the farmers as their work to aerate the bales helped them burn quicker and stopped the fire spreading.”

Firefighters worked to prevent a field fire spreading in Thurrock earlier today. 

Four crews from Grays, Orsett and Corringham were called to a field fire near Woodside Close, Grays at 5:18pm. 

Firefighters worked to extinguish the fire in sections and prevented it spreading to a line of trees. 

The cause of the fire is unknown. 

Watch Manager Gary Bannister from Grays Fire Station said: “Crews worked quickly in really hot conditions to prevent the fire spreading further into the fields and tree line. 

Crews were called to a road traffic collision on the A120 this afternoon. 

On arrival firefighters reported that one woman was medically trapped in her car and worked to release her by 2.10pm.

The casualty was left in the care of the Ambulance Service.