Crews have appealed to residents to park considerately following a house fire in Westcliff-on-Sea.

We were called to Fairmead Avenue today at 3.43am and crews from Southend and Leigh attended.

They were delayed getting to the property due to cars parked either side of the road blocking access.

Thankfully the occupant had got out of the property unharmed.

Crews have issued safety advice after a garage fire in Chafford Hundred.

We were called to Parnell Close yesterday at 9.20pm. Two crews from Grays attended and found a garage, measuring approximately 20 metres by 10 metres, completely alight.

They managed to stop the fire spreading to the adjacent two-story detached house and fully extinguished it by 11.47pm.

An investigation found the fire was caused by an electric bike left on charge.

Firefighters helped to rescue a baby fox that was trapped in an underground pipe in Colchester today.

Crews were called to help the RSPCA in Turner Road, Colchester at 12:36pm after concerns that a fox was trapped in an underground pipe.

Firefighters from our Urban Search and Rescue team were called to use their camera to see where in the pipe the fox was trapped.

Crews then worked together to dig around the pipe to free the fox cub by 1:55pm.

The fox was left in the care of the RSPCA.

Firefighters were called to a fire at the alleyway at the rear of a large soft play centre in Basildon.

When fire crews arrived they reported the fire was quickly developing and had spread inside the building.

Firefighters immediately got into the building and quickly got the fire surrounded.

Watch Manager Mark Blakebrough said:

"Firefighters worked really hard to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the building and the building next door.

A house has been left uninhabitable after a chimney fire in Rawreth.

Crews were called to a house fire in Chelmsford Road, Rawreth at 1:50pm.

When three fire crews arrived, they reported the roof of the large house was completely alight and requested the assistance of a further crew and an Aerial Ladder Platform.

The fire was extinguished by 2:53pm.

The fire started in a chimney flue.

Firefighters are urging smokers to discard of smoking materials properly after a discarded cigarette left a family homeless after a fire in Epping yesterday.

Crews were called to Ivy Chimneys, Epping at 4:42pm.

On arrival, firefighters reported that a house was heavily smoke logged and there was a fire outside spreading into the kitchen.

Crews extinguished the fire by 5:49pm and believe it was caused by a discarded cigarette.